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emails of various topics. A filing system can allow quick retrieval of
emails if you know what folder you put something in. It allows those
who may access your email later on (a successor, colleague or
archivist) to find emails and follow threads on subjects easily.
Although you may not file every single email message, a folder
system can greatly reduce the feeling of clutter in your inbox.

The major disadvantage of a filing system is that it takes time and
discipline to maintain. Over time you may find that you need to
review your folders and delete old emails, or modify the names of
folders that you have created.

For more information about setting up a filing scheme, see the FAQ
"How should I file my emails".

3. Combination of filing system and usage of inbox to store emails:

Research has shown that filing all messages is not necessarily an
effective management tool for some people. If you receive a large
amount of email (over 100 per day), spend a lot of time away from
your computer, or just do not have the time to maintain an extensive
filing system, you may want to consider a strategy in which you file
some messages and leave others in your inbox.

If you choose this strategy, it is a good idea to first delete the emails
that you know that you do not need or should not keep. If you delete
these messages on a daily basis, you will be able to easily identify the
messages that you do need to keep without having to weed through
too many emails in your inbox.

File any emails that you know that you want to keep and that you do
not have to follow up on. These may be emails that you want to keep
as evidence of your activities or evidence of a business transaction.
Depending on the content, these may be emails that you want to keep
for a long time, or for a shorter period of time (such as class
assignments that you may only want to keep for the semester).

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