This week on the IDLE podcast, I’m talking about stuffed animals.
So, let’s walk through the IDLE process and investigate how to create your mindset for how you deal with stuffed animals.
Step 1: Identify
First, we need to identify what item of clutter we want to change our mindset for. This week, we are talking about stuffed animals.
Step 2: Decide
Next, we need to actually decide on what we are going to do in our home the next time we see stuffed animals.
1. If possible, go through the house on a stuffed animal scavenger hunt and move all of the stuffed animals into one central zoo.
It is much easier to make decisions on items when you see all of them together in their entirety.
2. Collect the family members that need to make the decisions on the fate of the stuffed animals.
3. Divide the stuffed animals into animal types just as you would see at a real zoo. Then, have the family members who need to make the decisions as they visit each pile in your stuffed animal zoo.
4. First ask, “If you could only keep one stuffed animal out of this pile which one would that be?”
5. Next, have them find two stuffed animals in that pile that they know they can donate.
6. Decide what your personal goal is with the stuffed animals. I have much more information on the podcast about different people’s thoughts on stuffed animals and how to slowly move your stuffed animal lovers away from their dust bunny pets.
Step 3: Locate or Let Go
It doesn’t matter where you locate the stuffed animals, but make sure that they stay in just one location.
If you’ve decided that you are going to let go of your family’s collection of stuffed animals, you can check with the local fire department to see if they give those to children who have just been in a fire, or if other agencies will take your stuffed animals. But usually, they have to be disposed of.
Step 4: Evaluate
The last step in the IDLE process is probably the most important. On a regular basis, you will need to reevaluate and make sure that your mindset has not changed on your clutter to maintain an organized home.
Just like the last podcast about books, it does get easier over time to let go of stuffed animals. If this is the first time you have ever asked your family members if you can get rid of their precious teddy bear, you are going to be met with huge resistance. But eventually, you will find that they really have a special few stuffed animals that they do want to keep for a long time, but most can go.
So, what did you decide? Are you going to keep your stuffed animals? If so, how many will you store and where will they be located?
