If you feel you are subscribed to an excessive number of lists, consider why this is the case.  What is it that is making you join so many lists?  Why do you find it so difficult to go for a day without taking a peek?  Most of the information you will find on lists can now be found on the Internet.  Do you join lists because you don't know how to find the information you need?  Ask for help finding the information on the list, and then consider whether or not you still need to subscribe.  Perhaps you are joining lists for friendship?  Consider possibilities for keeping in touch with the friends you have made, without having to subscribe to the same list anymore.  Are  you worried you might miss something useful?  Would the time you spend trawling through list e-mail be better spent taking care of your own needs in a more proactive way?

Of course, there are some lists that are designed to be low-traffic, and so prioritise the ones you find difficult to keep up with.  Quite often, you will find that, rather than having to unsubscribe, the solution lies in worrying less about keeping 'up-to-date' with everything that is being said.  Don't be afraid to delete the list e-mail you really don't have time to read as most lists have archives you can access later when you have more time.

The idea behind our own HE Clutter List, is that you should never need to keep e-mail because Wendy (the list owner and webmaster) tries to make sure this website is kept up-to-date with all the useful information mentioned on-list during the previous week.  Thus, subscribers are able to refrain from further adding to their virtual clutter, without worrying that any useful tips and advice may be lost. 

Problem: Too much mail in my Inbox/Folders

Most e-mail applications enable you to filter e-mail into folders - this is especially useful for dealing with mail from various discussion lists.  For more information about filtering e-mail, please refer to the Help section of your software.  If you feel you have so much list e-mail that you would never have time to read through the contents of your e-mail folders, consider deleting the lot and starting over.  Instead of worrying that you might miss something, recall that there was a time when you were new to the list and able to keep up with all the conversations!  If you are worried that you might miss a conversation topic you are particularly interested in, search through the folder using the topic as a keyword.  You might also want to search using your name as a keyword, just in case someone has mentioned you or tried to attract your attention. If it doesn't appear in the list for that day, it is likely no one has addressed you directly, so you can feel free to delete the lot!

If you are a 'save that interesting e-mail for later' sort of person, you can create a few new folders, for example:

• Websites to look at
• People to respond to
• Ideas for my own projects
• Funny stuff
• Etc.

Decide on the maximum amount of time you should keep something, then set reminders for yourself so that you delete everything more than, say, a year
old.