Published 2026-01-11
tag(s): #link-post #email #random-thoughts
A couple days ago I read Wouter's musings about how to handle email and wasn't it a timely post. I've been thinking about the same thing the last few weeks.
A year ago, I tried Gnus with an offline workflow, but then I realized I am still online 99%
of the time I am reading my email, and also the Gnus agent/offline mode wasn't
working as I expected.
But the counterpoint to this is, by working exclusively in IMAP while online, I don't have any
backups of my emails.
There's a few aspects to keeping an email back up though...
That being said, I am an opponent of blindfully preserving everything "just in case". You don't need that email invoice if you have the invoice stored. You don't need that project mail if the project was done and buried five years ago. [...]
I am with Wouter here. I have zombie @gmail and @outlook accounts. Just like the photo
archives from phones tied to these accounts[1], I never ever look at those
archives.
I am sure they are full of really nice things, early emails with my now wife, funny chats with
friends. But also a lot of noise (appointments, inconsequential
conversations). AND a lot of...other things.
Alex Schoeder,
on
the difference between archiving and keeping records: [2]
[...] People are proud of their email archives going back decades [...] not the same as keeping the love letters you've received, as keepsakes. You're not going to reread all those emails. All you're doing is keeping records. And now you can set the record straight when people change their mind. Those records give you power over them.
[...] Imagine if somebody kept recorded all the conversations, going back decades. Would this be a good friend to have? Imagine if somebody kept video recording every encounter, going back decades. Would this be a good family member to have? Of course not. It's creepy.
This post is the intersection between tech stuff and human stuff that I always find
interesting to explore. I recommend it.
Probably influenced by the post, a while ago I realized, what's the value in having these
emails stored for years if I am never going to look back at them? But at the same
time, deleting them feels wrong. What if there's something important? There's an emotional act
in letting go of these...worth it, but difficult.
Sidenote, I think that's also why I am taking less pictures these days. Because I try the ones I take to matter more.
Tying it all together (and bringing it back to email workflows): I stopped archiving every
payment and receipt a while ago, unless there's a warranty involved. I am also keeping
conversations with real people. BUT I think it can be a good idea to delete those after about
a year or maybe two.
During all this pondering, I figured maybe it is a good idea to have an offline backup even if
it is only recent stuff, and I still have a little interest in being able to work
offline [3].
I leaning on setting again offlineimap (I did so when I tried mu4e), and have Gnus work with
that. I get a local backup, and can read email offline.
That's were Wouter's idea of having an archive outside the IMAP sync area is of interest to
me, because I hadn't considered doing something like that, and I think it is a great way of
dealing with this "infinite archive" conundrum. I can prune the local archive by date, keep
my IMAP server lean and free of noise. Win/win.