Most things that we think we need, we don't ever need in reality. The few things we may need sometime in the future, mostly we can find a workaround. The other few times where there's no workaround, the penalty for not having it isn't too great. It's rare to have things that are both essential and carry a great penalty for loss, do keep those around, it's worth the effort.
Obviously for some, their job or life may demand exact record keeping, in which case being a digital pack rat is part of the job/life description, for others it's an unnecessary burden. Even then, this pack rat existence may just be a phase of life, don't make it a life long habit. It's too easy to find an interesting or entertaining email or file from the past just when the taxes are due at midnight, and you're rushing to the deadline. Other times going through the old stuff is like vegetating in front of the TV, flipping channels without any conscious thought. Simplifying the outside, whether it's the physical or digital outside, also cleans out the inside of the head and makes life more flexible. Going one step further, don't create unnecessary files, dispose the scratch files immediately after you're done.
