Aug 14, 2006

Are you a hoarder or a deleter?

I have to say I fall somewhere in between the two extremes.
The makeup and tidiness of your inbox is a reflection of your habits, your mental health and, yes, even the way Mom and Dad raised you.

"If you keep your inbox full rather than empty, it may mean you keep your life cluttered in other ways," says psychologist Dave Greenfield, who founded the Center for Internet Behavior in West Hartford, Conn. "Do you cling to the past? Do you have a lot of unfinished business in your life?"

On the other hand, if you obsessively clean your inbox every 10 minutes, you may be so quick to move on that you miss opportunities and ignore nuances. Or your compulsion for order may be sapping your energy from other endeavors, such as your family.
I have a couple of old messages in my personal inbox, but I'm pretty good about deleting regularly. And folders. I've got tons of them. Especially at work where I tend to transfer stuff into folders. That way I never have to look at them again, but I'd probably be able to find an email if required.

Via Geek Press.

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