# Extract durable information from chat

Practice ID: 18
Topic: `relationships` (relationships: Practices that keep communication in service of real human connection.)
Added: 2026-09-01
Journey entry point: `reclaim` (Establish chosen roles, boundaries, and routines for the technology that remains.)
Start with: `habit` (habit)
Supports: `legible-digital-life` (a legible, maintainable digital life; group: `digital-control` / My data and digital setup)

## Pattern

Tasks, events, decisions, and memories become easier to find when they leave the chat stream and enter the system that owns them.

## Practice

Move information that must outlive a conversation into the system where it belongs. The resolved conversation can then expire according to your retention rule.

## Start small

Move one unresolved task or date from a chat into your journal, task list, or calendar.

## Watch out

Avoid duplicating everything; extract only information that has a real future use.

## Groundwork for

- [Let resolved conversations expire](https://live.freewith.tech/practices/let-resolved-conversations-expire.md)

## Concepts

- [minimal retention](https://live.freewith.tech/concepts/minimal-retention.md): Data and digital residue are kept only while they continue to serve a deliberate purpose.

## Positions

See how these practices fit together: [End resolved chats](https://live.freewith.tech/by/ending-chats.md).

## Related videos

- [you’ve been using messaging apps wrong](https://fwt.wtf/delete-your-chats-video?utm_source=live.freewith.tech)

## Continue

- [See more in relationships.](https://live.freewith.tech/?topic=relationships#practices)
- [Journey](https://live.freewith.tech/journey.md)
- [Concepts](https://live.freewith.tech/concepts.md)
- [Complete agent-readable database](https://live.freewith.tech/llms.txt)