A method and system for processing messages includes receiving a plurality of messages directed to a user. Each of the plurality of messages is associated with a respective conversation and list of conversations is displayed in an order determined in accordance with second predefined criteria, as a set of rows, where each row corresponds to one of the listed conversations and includes at least a sender list, a conversation topic and a date/time value. A user is enabled to identify one or more conversations in the list of conversations, to mark the identified conversations as belonging to a particular category, and to display another list of conversations comprising conversations marked as belonging to the particular category. A user may cause a conversation to be removed from certain displays, but to become visible again after the passage of a certain amount of time or the occurrence of an event.