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Re: How to organize mail in folders?



Michelle,

I think there is a misunderstanding.  I wanted to understand how other
people process their email.  You are giving me pointers to programs but
don't describe how you use them.

Here is a potential strategy for handling mail:

  - All incoming mail goes to inbox.
  - I process all mails from inbox.
  - Some messages I read, then delete right away.
  - Other messages I read, then archive by project.
    By project means that there is a folder for each project.
  - Some messages I read, then respond to and archive (by project).
  - Some messages I read, decide that I can't handle them right
    away, so I put them in the todo folder.  Every morning I go
    through my todo folder.
  - Some messages (often those sent by me) are waiting for responses
    from others.  I file those in the "pending" folder.  Every
    morning I go through my "pending" folder to see whether a response
    has arrived.

Some of the above steps could be automated.  The strategy does not
handle mailing lists well.  But I hope it shows one possible response
and makes it clear in what way your response differs from what I was
expecting.

(I do not follow the above strategy, if that matters.  Maybe I should.
Or maybe you have a better strategy?)

On to the details of your message:

On Thu, Jul 19, 2007 at 07:26:31PM +0200, Michelle Konzack wrote:

> Am 2007-07-11 17:03:23, schrieb Kai Grossjohann:
> > 
> > What I'm looking for is some suggestions on how else I might organize my
> > mail, that fits more with what Mutt offers.  I think most of you face
> > the same basic situation as I do:
> > 
> >   - Receive personal mail and mailing list mail.
> 
> "fetchmail" or "getmail"

Those do not know the difference between personal mail and mailing list
mail, I think.

> >   - Have different strategies for handling mail depending on the address
> >     they were sent to (some mailing lists are less important than most
> >     personal mail, so we don't check for new mail there as often).
> 
> "procmail" or "maildrop"

Those do not check whether new mail is available that needs to be
processed.

> >   - Want to archive a large portion of mail.
> 
> "archivemail"

This is a good hint.  Thanks a lot!

> >   - Want to have an overview of messages that still need action of some
> >     type.
> 
> ???

I get a message.  It could be something I read and then delete.  Or it
could be something that I read and then archive.  Or I respond right
away and then delete or archive.

These cases are easy.

Then there are messages that mean I need to do something, but I need
longer to do them.  Or I need to get feedback from somewhere.  Or
whatever.  My memory is quite bad, so I like to have the computer store
a list of these open ends so I don't have to remember them.

> >   - Don't want the archive to interfere (too much) with this overview.
> 
> ???

Suppose I have a folder for the foo project.  Then which of the messages
in that folder are open ends that still need action, and which of them
are archived messages?

> > Right?  So what do you do?
> 
> ...its up to you.  :-)

I hope that what _you_ do is not up to _me_.

Kai