A method for managing and tracking information items within a message-based system. The message-based system has a viewer which include a first, a second and a third viewing panes. A plurality of thrasks is generated. Each of the thrasks includes at least one information item having a set of metadata. A new information item is sorted into one of the thrasks in accordance with at least one criterion. Some of the thrasks are displayed in the first viewing pane. A list of the information items of a thrask selected from the displayed thrasks is displayed in the second viewing pane. For each of the displayed information items at least one of the respective metadata is displayed. Some of the content of an information item selected from the list of the displayed information items is displayed in the third viewing pane.