#5: A mini Matchpoint Monthly, ft. my very least favourite decluttering tip, and what you might try instead

Apologies for the rather pithy email this month; I drafted this sitting on the floor (we'd just dragged our couch out to the street) sorting through the last of our belongings we'll need to squeeze into our 2021 Prius for our x-country move (at the time: a rope dog toy, a forgotten bottle of rum and a lumpy throw pillow), and am now finishing it up in a roadside Super 8 in Sault Ste Marie!

As you may have guessed, we've spent most of the last few months in a decluttering daze. Eagerly clicking on any article that contained any version of "One Trick To Cure Your Packing Woes!", I kept coming across this same tip:

If you didn't wear it in the past year, they promised, you'll never wear it again! Ever! Cast it out! Burn it in a bonfire! Strike it from your memory! 

I think it's obvious that I heavily disagree. It comes from an okay place: the idea stems from the concept that present you knows your style better than past you, and that your sense of personal style marches on in a perfectly linear fashion without ever circling back. But that doesn't stop the Ghost of Closets Future lingering in your periphery like a sexy specter, taunting you with the potent possibility of wearing that sequin bomber jacket somewhere, someday. 

Here's my suggestion – instead of auditing your clothes by casting aside pieces you haven't worn in the past year, ask yourself if you'll wear them in the next three months instead(or the forthcoming season, if they're out-of-season). I think this works better because future you has the benefit of your present wisdom, whereas past you didn't. This reframes the conversation in your head from "ugh, I never wore this" to "what outfits can I put together with this?". Instead of dwelling on the year that was (which, for most of us, was probably upwards of 50% shit) to the year that will be. It focuses your attention on the bright, shining, sparkling possibilities. Instead of throwing our your sequin shorts because you never wore them, now you're planning a roller-skate date to make them work. And if you really can't dream up a future-use for a piece, you can feel good about passing it on – because it doesn't serve you in the now & near future, not because it's tied to unworn baggage from the past. 

Hope this reframe helps you like it helped me, my sweet readers! 

With love and roadside-motel coffee,
M