Storage

Automated Rules

• Set rules to automatically route emails
  Use rules to manage email messages more effectively. For instance, set a rule to route emails from specific senders (e.g., supervisors, HR) to a designated folder. Set a calendar reminder to review this folder weekly and delete what’s unnecessary.
  Learn how to set up rules in Outlook.
• Delete unsolicited and non-record external emails
  Create a rule to sort external informational emails into a separate folder for easier review and disposal. Review this folder weekly and delete anything you don’t need. Examples include:
  • Reminders for non-Penn State webinars and conferences
  • Voting for officers from external non-Penn State professional associations
  • Newsletters from external professional associations
  • Third-party vendor software updates
  • Listserv/discussion board notifications

Managing Email Threads

Better manage email threads
Often, a single email conversation contains multiple messages. Often, a single email conversation, or thread, contains multiple emails. Whether all the emails in a thread are retained or just the last one depends on several factors.

Retain only the last email in the thread if:

• The thread is transient (e.g., discussing meeting availability).
• The thread is not needed as evidence or proof.

Retain the entire thread if:

• Not all participants use the reply-all feature.
• Multiple participants are responding at the same time, creating separate responses.
• The thread contains attachments, as these don’t stay with the thread when replying.
• If all the emails in a thread need to be retained, instead of only the last email, you can create a PDF of all the emails and attachments together into a single file once the thread is complete. Once the email thread is in PDF and filed with related files on a server, it can be deleted within Outlook.
• The emails are needed as evidence or proof. Anyone responding to a thread can edit any part of the email thread, including what others have said. In some instances, emails may need to be compared to ensure that nothing has changed.

If you use your Penn State OneDrive storage only for coursework and work-related projects, that will help you stay below the storage limit. Other best practices to manage storage include:

• Check your storage: Learn how to determine your available storage space in OneDrive.
• Don’t use OneDrive to store personal files: Photographs, videos, and personally identifiable information such as billing information, medical records, social security numbers, banking or credit card information.
• Store files in the appropriate place: Use OneDrive to store your individual work, such as files that include private information. Use Teams for collaborative work, and any resources that should be owned by the business or group even if you leave the organization.
• Declutter regularly: Set aside time periodically to review and delete files you no longer need. This could be weekly, monthly, quarterly, or annually, depending on your workflow.
• Organize files efficiently: Create a clear folder structure that makes sense to you. Use broad categories with subfolders as needed. This will make it easier to locate files and reduce the temptation to duplicate folders and save everything in one place.
• Use descriptive file names: Choose file names that are descriptive and meaningful. This will make it easier to identify files at a glance and reduce the need to keep multiple versions of the same document.
• Avoid duplicates: Avoid creating duplicate files. Instead of saving multiple copies of the same document, consider using version control or saving revisions within the same file. Use software tools or built-in features in your operating system to scan for and remove duplicate files. This can help streamline your storage and reduce clutter.
• Be selective about downloads: Before downloading files from the internet, ask yourself if you really need them, as this can quickly lead to clutter. If you regularly download shared files, take a moment to consider if you really need your own copy, or if the shared file is sufficient for your needs.