For my personal mail I like using labels in Gmail instead of archive button. Basically, I categorize mail in a few categories:
1. Receipts, bill, utilities, etc. (Sublabel for every company)
2. Friends&Family (Sublabel for every person)
3. School and school related (Sublabel for every person)
4. Government and government related (Sublabel by organization)
5. Random and miscellaneous
It's archive, but somewhat organized