another personality giveaway

no, wa1mart is not having a blue light special on personalities...by "giveaway" i mean something that may give a complete stranger a glimpse into your true nature. it's been done with the way a woman applies her lipstick, by "analyzing" handwriting, and by reading the stars in the night sky, just to name a few. this is my own little idea from my own little brain. if you've seen this somewhere before, i promise i didn't rip this off. but i would be surprised if no one has thought of this before:

what does your email filing system say about you?

the pseudo neat freak (pnf): this person has a hard time keeping emails in her inbox. when more than 4 or 5 have been there for more than a few days, the pseudo neat freak will either make a new folder and file them, make them fit into an existing filing category, deal with them if action is required, or take a deep breath and delete them. this intolerance for inbox loitering makes the pnf notorious for saying, "i must have deleted it" when asked to produce certain low-priority emails. the pnf has an exquisitely organized filing system and can usually find the emails that she has saved quickly and efficiently. the pnf almost always has a tidy work, as well as personal living space; however, "tidy" should not be confused with "clean." while the pnf gets anxious amongst clutter, she is not necessarily bothered by dusty picture frames or dirty dishes in the sink.

the collector: on the other side of the spectrum, you'll find the collector. this person is not concerned with clutter, efficiency or filing. it is not unusual to see tidbits like "403 unread messages" next to his inbox folder. the few other folders he does create encompass a broad range of subjects in which he could easily dump just about any email he wishes. "misc." is a very popular title for folders in the collector's collection. for example, "misc. work," "misc. home," and "misc. misc." are just 3 of the many ways in which the collector has boldly used the abbreviation for miscellaneous. the collector tends to be a visionary in his own life. if single, his dwelling resembles his email filing system: clutter abounds; however, the collector himself can find anything he needs in seconds - just don't tidy up! if married or co-habitating, the collector is usually banished to one or two rooms within the dwelling because of his need to...collect. he is known for the phrase, "we might need that some day!"

i'll stop now because my fingers are tired, but what does your inbox say about you? i've only covered the extemes here, folks! how about leaving some other thoughts in the comments? i'd like to hear about some other inbox personalities! i'll post the best ones here in subsequent entries.