How organised is your mail inbox?

[User33236]

I have something of an aversion to deleting emails whether at home or at work.

When I left my last job I handed over a 41Gb password protected *.pst file to my line manager in case anything was needed in the future.

My new employer puts significant restrictions on *.pst file sizes and where they can sit so my storage archive is already huge!

Anyway my home email was getting similarly large, over 85,000 emails dating back to 2002!

Spent yesterday’s ‘snow day’ cleaning that out and now have it down at just under 200. Had a sleepless night last night worrying about it

 

[Dave 123]

I get rid of them ASAP.
On my phone if it says that there are notifications I open them... then delete. Tidy & neat.

A work colleague had over 25,000 unopened emails on his phone

 

[User33236]

I get rid of them ASAP.
On my phone if it says that there are notifications I open them... then delete. Tidy & neat.

A work colleague had over 25,000 unopened emails on his phone

That’s another pet hate of mine. Phone screens cluttered with notification alerts.

 

[Markymark]

Everything I need is stored in sub folders. Inbox kept to 1 or 2. Everything else deleted. Just process emails as they come in. Around once a month will look at folder names and delete redundant. Many folders are several years old and will be kept, eg contract negotiations.

When I delete they are archived for 6 months before being deleted permanently.

I see people with thousands of emails in the same way as those with piles and piles on their desks...disorganised.

 

[pplpilot]

...to the point of obsession.

All foldered and categorised .I've not deleted a single work email since 1997. You never know. In fact only last week i dug a mail out from 2001 to back up an argument. Personal mail not so much.

 

[Slick]

I'd love to say it's super dooper organised but unfortunately it's total chaos in there.

 

[User33236]

...to the point of obsession.

All foldered and categorised .I've not deleted a single work email since 1997. You never know. In fact only last week i dug a mail out from 2001 to back up an argument. Personal mail not so much.

I’ve had to drag one very old work emails on numerous occasions, often when events get disputed and turn into a ‘he said she said’ argument.

 

[Tommy2]

Delete as required as soon as possible, bin will empty itself after so many days.
If it is something I need to keep it goes in a sub folder, if it needs actioning I leave it in inbox.
If I've had a quick glance at something but needs rereading properly I will mark it as unread.

1 guy at work reads emails he needs to but leaves them in his inbox, generally deletes ones he doesn't need to read.
The other 2 don't sometimes don't even start outlook unless someone prompts them to and only look at emails they have been told to (so they can use it as an excuse for not doing things they've been emailed about), obviously this means very few emails are read and none are filed to refer back to (if they are deleted it's so they can play dumb about not doing or knowing something).
It boils my urine, when I ask if they done or seen something and they say "I have had chance to read my emails" from 2 days ago!!!!!

 

[Shut Up Legs]

Out of curiosity, I just checked my total email count in Thunderbird, and it's a bit over 12,000, so pretty small potatoes compared to some.

 

[burndust]

I have something of an aversion to deleting emails whether at home or at work.

When I left my last job I handed over a 41Gb password protected *.pst file to my line manager in case anything was needed in the future.

My new employer puts significant restrictions on *.pst file sizes and where they can sit so my storage archive is already huge!

Anyway my home email was getting similarly large, over 85,000 emails dating back to 2002!

Spent yesterday’s ‘snow day’ cleaning that out and now have it down at just under 200. Had a sleepless night last night worrying about it

i deal with this sort of thing on a daily basis, your lucky that 41gb PST file wasn't corrupted

 

[User33236]

i deal with this sort of thing on a daily basis, your lucky that 41gb PST file wasn't corrupted

The 41gb file was brought together from numerous, smaller, sources which were checked before and after the merge.

In all thruth it’s unlikely that my ex-boss will ever find need to open the file again. He retires this year and has a slightly more gung-ho approach to email.

 

[PaulSB]

When I worked my inbox was beautifully organised, fully backed up and archived. Major customers with, for example, buying department, logistics, accounts etc. would all have appropriate sub folders with auto redirects as appropriate. For major customers I would keep five years of emails - you never know when it’s needed. For small customers, that was usually those who one could talk to, would be deleted after one year.

Contacts I’d clean up annually

As an aside all my computer folders, sub folders and files were named very logically and precisely. The objective being anyone should be able to find the correct file quickly and easily.

When I retired I worked with my successor for three months prior to leaving. Daily through that period the value of applying simple logic became was confirmed.

Now retired I still apply the rules to folders and files - I’m sec of my cycle club. Emails I just keep as the number is so small

I’ve always been red hot on unsubscribing to anything I don’t want. Cuts down the junk significantly.

 

[tyred]

I file everything under miscellaneous.

 

[Tin Pot]

I have something of an aversion to deleting emails whether at home or at work.

When I left my last job I handed over a 41Gb password protected *.pst file to my line manager in case anything was needed in the future.

My new employer puts significant restrictions on *.pst file sizes and where they can sit so my storage archive is already huge!

Anyway my home email was getting similarly large, over 85,000 emails dating back to 2002!

Spent yesterday’s ‘snow day’ cleaning that out and now have it down at just under 200. Had a sleepless night last night worrying about it

Last day of work in 2018, check through all your unopened mails, close down all unfinished tasks/flagged items, then delete the entire mailbox.

First day of work 2019 will feel great.

 

[Tin Pot]

The 41gb file was brought together from numerous, smaller, sources which were checked before and after the merge.

In all thruth it’s unlikely that my ex-boss will ever find need to open the file again. He retires this year and has a slightly more gung-ho approach to email.

I hope he retires before May and the GDPR compliance deadline.