Mail and start-up disk backup issue

[libertedepense]

My [User] > Library > Containers > com.apple.mail folder is 1T in size.

Individual text files like “map.gmail…” inside are as large as 350 GB.

This means that backing-up my start-up disk frequently is very problematic. [I use Carbon Copy Cloner.] [My start-up disk is 2T and is a small part of my connected files.][Running Mojave.]

It seems that one change to these text files (which I assume results from using apple Mail) means a huge backup rewrite. This also demands lots of free space on the backup disk to temporarily keep the 350Go file and its revised version.

GOAL: Ideally, I would like to backup more often than daily. Ideally I would like to frequently backup the emails files as well, but I could sacrifice frequency on that if necessary.

I am open to using multiple backup disks. I would like to maintain access to my historical emails, which contain lots of information about continuing scientific research I am involved in.

Any suggestions about a strategy? Especially out of the box thinking?
Or if I am doing something stupid?

 

[Fishrrman]

How many emails do you have?
Do some of them have large attachments?

Do you regularly "cull" and delete old emails that are no longer worth keeping?

 

[libertedepense]

How many emails do you have?
Do some of them have large attachments?

Do you regularly "cull" and delete old emails that are no longer worth keeping?

Thanks for the suggestion. No, I do not cull hundreds of thousands of emails. That would not be time-effective. Even at 5 seconds an email, that would take hundreds of hours, with the risk of deleting something useful.

 

[Fishrrman]

"No, I do not cull hundreds of thousands of emails. That would not be time-effective. Even at 5 seconds an email, that would take hundreds of hours, with the risk of deleting something useful."

Well, with "hundreds of thousands" of emails, then I would EXPECT the amount of disk space to be huge, and would also expect that the speed of operations would become sluggish.

So... either "keep all the old emails" and put up with the slowdowns,
or
Move everything to archival drives, and "start over".

As chief engineer Scotty would admonish Captain Kirk,
"Sir, I canna change the laws of physics..."

 

[libertedepense]

Thanks Fisherman. Since Star Trek is based on the laws of physics being ignored, that is perhaps the sort of solution I am seeking. I have been able to divide the CCC backup into a separate task for the Mail folders, meaning they are not backed up as frequently onto the main b/u disk. And by also backing them up onto a secondary disk that backs-up more frequently, I have an inefficient work around that does work. Still pursuing a better solution.