My responses:
I've been tracking wears on and off for years, but for the last two years, I've tracked every day using the Closetspace app. It took me a while to set up, but now tracking is literally thirty seconds a day, and adding new items only takes a minute or two. I like the visual nature of the app, and think any visual cataloging solution helps helps me to "see" my wardrobe in a different way than when it's just hanging in my closet.
I loved Angie's response in the original challenge thread about why she chooses not to track, and I think it's a well-thought-out argument for why tracking isn't for everyone. Like Angie, I also have, as she put it, "a cohesive and fabulous-to-me wardrobe that makes me very happy, appreciative, suits my lifestyle, panders positively to my emotions, and goes the distance." The difference, of course, is that I got there by tracking.
Knowing how many garments I have and how times I've worn various items in my wardrobe makes me feel good about my choices and my impact on the environment. It reassures me that I don't have too much or too little. Tracking has become a way for me to look back fondly on clothing and outfits from my past, and appreciate how my style has changed over the years.
Tracking gives me cues about questions I need to ask myself (Did I purchase too many skirts last summer? Yes, I should remember that next spring) and guides future purchases (My shoes are worn hundreds of times, so get the best quality I can afford).
I use tracking to guide what I wear, but not to the point of forcing myself to wear things that don't make me happy. It's fun for me to explore my closet through the numbers and pull out neglected pieces at the end of a season. There aren't a lot of these in my small-moderate wardrobe, but this is thanks, in part, to the tracking.
I use tracking to know when to get rid of pieces, but I don't force it. For example, I've only worn my faux fur vest thirteen times, since I bought it in October 2016. That doesn't matter. I still love it, and it will stay in my closet as a statement piece that gets pulled out when the weather and my mood coincide to make it work. On the other hand, I can look at a scarf that I've worn the same number of times, review the outfits, and realize it never really made me happy, and it's perfectly okay to pass it on to a new home....but, because I know I only wore it thirteen times, I also know not to make the same mistake again. Without tracking, I am forgetful and make more decisions I later regret.
