When purchasing a new phone, the sales rep usually asks if you want them to transfer your contacts over to your new phone. I usually say no, and this is why:

I don’t necessarily need every number that was in my old phone. Typing them in my new phone manually gives me a chance to clean them up. There’s no sense in keeping someone’s number that you will never call again. It’s actually kinda sad in a way. Friends with whom you’ve lost touch, ex-girlfriends, business contacts whose exciting opportunity never amounted to anything. When going through the numbers, I usually ask myself, “If I accidentally dialed this person and they picked up, would it be moderately to extremely awkward?” If the answer is yes, then that number will not make the transition to my new phone. In all, 21 people didn’t make the transition.

On the bright side, going through the numbers gives me a chance to think about all the people who did make the transition to the new phone. It makes me think about some of the people I haven’t talked to in a while, and that I should call. So that they make the transition to my next new phone, and many new phones to come.