text: Technology may have advanced in leaps and bounds, but when it comes to our most precious papers, it turns out many of us remain creatures of habit. A third of adults shun the storage possibilities of the internet and still keep their most important papers in a shoebox, a poll has found. Ten per cent are even more relaxed about treasured photos, letters and mementos – leaving them lying around in piles of paperwork. A third of adults shun the storage possibilities of the internet and still keep their most important papers in a shoebox,the poll by online file-sharing service Lifetile found . From a marriage certificate to deeds to a house, only six per cent keep a back-up copy of vital paperwork online, while just 13 per cent bother to scan it to a computer, the poll by online file-sharing service Lifetile found. The survey of more than 2,000 Britons found almost half (45 per cent) rely on a safe or filing cabinet to store documents, from personal to official ones. While 32 per cent keep their possessions in a shoebox, the box itself is then filed away to a loft, cupboard or garage. The contents can include love letters and old photos before the age of digital cameras to a will or deeds to property, for instance, the children's old school reports and mementos. The survey also found 10 per cent of Brits ignore all the other available options and simply keep physical documents stacked in piles at various places around the home. An ultra cautious 4 per cent have safety deposit boxes, said the survey. Lifetile is a service offering an online site to keep private documents, photos and other memories to build up a family history to share with children and others online. It allows users to import digital photos, social media updates and entries and uploaded paperwork. Men are almost twice as likely women to keep such documents either online or on a computer, and younger adults more likely than older ones to do so, the research showed. Just 13 per cent bother to scan it to a computer, while almost half (45 per cent) rely on a safe or filing cabinet to store documents . Founder Richard Grant said: 'The old shoebox represents a comforting place for people to keep their important documents and treasured memories. 'They can return time and again to look at photos of their children growing up, love letters, marriage certificates and much more. 'It's the story of your life in its simplest form. But the internet has opened up the possibility of immortalising our life story, by making it digital.' It is harder to lose documents and memories kept online, easier to share them with others and easier to find them in a hurry than if they were stored out of the way at home. Grant added: 'We spend so much of our life online, using the web to learn, shop and socialise and yet when it comes to the big life events and our important documents, all of which define us, we often choose to keep them tucked away for a rainy day.'
target: Ten per cent leave their documents, letters and mementos around in piles .
  Survey of 2,000 Britons found that only six per cent back up papers online .
  Just under half asked said they used filing cabinets or safes for documents .