Clearing out the house? Delete your email and text messages

As you downsize and sort through those old mementos, you’ll consider what items will mean something to the kids or grandkids and which means something only to you.

But these days it isn’t just boxes, it’s also the electronic messages on your computer. Some of those will have to go. Some of them will be precious.

The question is what should stay on the computer. Some sources say: Keep nothing. Delete everything personal.

You should ask yourself what, if anything, should be seen if you are no longer there to explain it.

The good:
The delightful messages that meant so much can be forwarded to senders with a note. Tell the sender you are cleaning out your computer and running across the note. Say how much it meant to you and why. Then delete it. Print it out if you must, but delete the email.

The bad and the ugly:
The problem with email is that people send it on impulse. What they say (and what you may have said) probably shouldn’t have lived a single day, much less a lifetime. But there those ugly messages are, buried deep in the computer, ready to be seen again. Delete them.

In fact, delete anything that is angry, embarrassing, or secret — not that too many things sent by email are secret, but still.

You might start by searching by email address. Scan through to see if anything is worth keeping. If you don’t see anything, delete every message contained in that email. Do that for every friend and family member.

Browser history
Find out how to wipe your browser history and do it. Nothing is more misleading to other people than the history of what you looked at online.