I often comment on my self-diagnosed OCD, and I thought today might be a good time to delve a little deeper into that diagnosis because I’m qualified to do that. I also think I’m a rocket scientist, and I see no problems with that assessment either. It’s possible you should take everything I say with a grain of salt.
What’s that? Houston? Is that you? We have a problem. We have no plan.
I’ve written about my love of rules and structure before. I’ve spoken about my need to plan everything, and let me tell you, I do mean everything. For me to be without a plan is a sad and potentially scary sight because my self-diagnosed OCD rears her ugly head and starts screeching in a barely recognizable wail. Needless to say, the phrase ‘Go with the flow’ runs contrary to my very being. More pointedly it’s a phrase I’d take outside and bury in the backyard, given a chance, right beside the graveyard of chipmunk heads my cats have accumulated. I haven’t found it yet, but I know it’s out there somewhere.
Back to my OCD, there will be some of you who might understand this, and some of you who won’t. ♫ “Some of y’all might know this and some of y’all don’t. Some of y’all might be with this, and some of y’all won’t. But listen, let me clear my throat. “♫
And DJ Kool is what happens when OCD and ADD intersect.
What can I say. It’s Friday, and I’m feeling frisky.
Since Wednesday’s post was so emotionally heavy, I though we’d delve into something a little more light-hearted today: my neurosis. I’m going to share with you some of my favorite OCD tendencies, outside of my need to plan all the things.
- The Kitchen is my clutter free zone. Truth be told, most of the house is clutter free, but the kitchen especially so. I don’t like anything on my counters other than the few items which belong there. Think coffeepot, knife block, fruit, onions, potatoes, and of course I am the one who gets final approval of what does and doesn’t belong. Keys, paperwork, and other oddities are not acceptable and will removed at once, regardless of whether you are a regular inhabitant or a guest in my home. It should be known, I can and will occasionally listen to reason. While it took the Hubby weeks of subtle and not so subtle suggestions, I finally conceded that yes the blender might deserve a place on the counter since I use it on a near daily basis. See, I’m super flexible (cough, cough).
- The A to B approach. I see things as very linear, with a starting point of A and ending place of B, which means I almost always start things at the beginning: books, television shows, magazines, articles, blog reading, projects, lists. I can’t pick up a magazine and flip to just any page. I have to start at the very first page and work my way through, article by article. It’s one of the reasons I had to give up my weekly People subscription. Ain’t nobody got time for that.
(source)
- Seeing Things Through. In the same vein as the linear approach, I have to complete things once I start them. Part of this is a bit compulsive and part of it was my upbringing. Growing up, you didn’t start something you couldn’t finish; period. This can be a really great trait, especially in the workplace. Where it’s not so great is when I’m doing things I don’t actually enjoy. I can’t walk away from a bad book or power off a horrible movie, which on a practical level makes no sense. Perhaps I need to work on this one. Just start leaving things undone or half…(gulp).
- Also part and parcel with linear, I like to do things in order. Sometimes its simple stuff like dust before you vacuum, which to me seems rather obvious, and it’s also why I think I’m a rocket scientist; albeit one who likes to jam out to DJ Kool. I also eat things in order. For example, I have to finish last week’s carton of eggs before I move onto to this week’s. Honestly it’s the sanitary thing to do, although I have no qualms eating raw cookie dough. Hmm. I also eat my significantly less perishable items in the order I receive them. Take this picture. It’s from last Fall, and while you can’t see it in this photo, I can assure the backside of these babies are numbered.
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Weeds: no, not that kind; the kind in my lawn; I abhor them. They screw up the symmetry of my grass and since I no longer use chemicals to banish them, I pull them out, one by one by one by one. It’s quite time inefficient, but also oddly relaxing; sort of like puzzles. See, and you thought I was uptight. Ha.
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Hyper-organization. I group like things together. I also believe everything should be facing forward and lined up just so. I’ve been compared to the homicidal husband in Sleeping With The Enemy, less the whole domestic violence aspect. Take for example, my fridge or my linen closet. All items are grouped by category, lined up neatly, and forward facing. Back in February, I spring cleaned my entire linen closet and shared it with all of you on the blog. Eight months later, here’s what it looks like:
I knew there’d be a towel out of line.
I hate it when my towels get out of line. I mean really, they should know better. I give them free room and board and in return they must remain in a neat and orderly fashion at all times. In the words of Donald Trump, that particular towel is officially Fired. I don’t even know if that show is still even on television anymore, and that is a sentence spoken like a true rocket scientist.
I’ve got lots more of these. Are you interested in hearing them, or have I frightened you away? Tell me about some of your quirks and unusual tendencies? No worries, we’ve all got something.
I am addicted to tea. I cannot have a totally clutter-free home because I have kids. What I can have, is a perfectly organized tea cabinet. All of my boxes and tins, stacked, and facing-out, and labeled with how many I have left.
Kids would likely ruin me. Or quite possibly free me from my OCD tendencies. I suppose it’s a toss up.
I bet you love the organization of your tea cabinet. Is it your safe zone? It would be mine.
Yes, yes, please share more! I have OCD tendencies myself… but having to keep half my life in my trunk and the other half in a room full of my brothers clothes and random furniture has kind of put a dampener on that (side note since I can’t move out yet I’m super excited to have my own room again).
I overcompensate by keeping my desk at work exceptionally tidy. It’s not even my desk, it’s a shared space, but I keep it dusted and tidy. I’m the same with the desktop on my laptop, everything has a folder (or subfolder) where it is filed. No loose documents for me 🙂
Maybe the whole living situation is good for keeping the OCD tendencies at bay. It’s forced relaxation, which is one of the reasons the Hubby is perfect for me. He makes me lighten up on some of my more extreme ways.
Embrace the dark side while you’re forced to. It’ll only hurt a little. 🙂
You are more than welcome to come to my house and clean my closets anytime!!!
You can pay me in food. 🙂
Because neurosis is completely light-hearted 😉 But really, I like your approach to your OCD tendencies… I have a lot of the same ones and treat them like an old friend that I love to hate on. We have an understanding… And can you believe that I’ve actually been challenging myself to leave dirty dishes in the sink instead of washing them as soon as I’m done with them? Most people have to force themselves to do the dishes, but us OCD type? Totally the opposite…
What a great way to describe it: “like an old friend that I love to hate on.” That’s it exactly. I have long since learned (refreshers never hurt though) to learn to love my idiosyncrasies. If I don’t, who will? Besides knowing them allows us to embrace their strengths and work on their weaknesses.
Congratulations on the dishes in the sink. That is a big deal. I bet your still rinsing them immediately though. Am I right? I totally would be.
LOL… you really are OCD!! Man… you wouldn’t stand a chance in my house. We’re all at peace with our disarray here.
If you’re at peace with it, that’s all that matters.
I cannot believe you keep your knife block *on* your counter. Sheesh.
Seriously, even though my kitchen is bigger here than the last house, there was less space where I usually chop (between the stove and the sink) and in an amazing stroke of serendipity someone had a door mount knife block like I’d been looking at on Amazon at a garage sale down the street for $5. I open my lower cabinet door, pull out a knife, and the counter tops stay . . . . well, cluttered because my spouse is in freaking Afghanistan and I am so, so, so, sick of doing all the cleaning all of the time. However, he will be home soon enough, and perhaps the overall cleanliness of the place will be back up to usual thanks to my friend Nina.
And I like the song first referenced–excellent bopping around to music.
I’ve told you, I will come clean and you can pay me in canned goods. I’m easy like that.
I love how you’re able to take a light hearted approach to these OCD tendencies! I would HATE for you to see the state of my kitchen or my house….oh dear.
That is intriguing about how you must always see things through, especially a bad book or movie- Don’t think I’d ever be able to do that.
I can’t think of any unique quirks or tendancies…maybe a pre bed routine? Shower, dry, get my laptop ready with a TV episode, boil the kettle, move the laptop to my bed, go back, pour the tea, set my water bottle by my bedside, get a pre bed snack and settle into slumber. Hmmm…that is abit strange. Seeing as I do it every night like that 😉
No worries. I wouldn’t judge your house or kitchen, although I would fight with myself not to try and organize it. My mother is the exact opposite of me when it comes to this stuff so I can appreciate our differences.
Intriguing is such a nice way to say it. Thanks Arman.
That is definitely a nightly routine. See, everybody’s got something. Embrace it.
I am convinced we would make the perfect roommates. I am terrified to live with other people because I am such a clean freak and have seen too many living situations gone wrong. I would probably be ok with that towel out of line though..so that might be a deal breaker..damn.
Foiled by a towel. I always knew something would bring us down. I just never suspected this.
😉
Hmmm…. (<<< your posts always make me think! 😀 ). Your OCD tendencies are a bit stronger than I previously thought. I kind of wish in a way that I had more of an inclination to keep things neat, organized and clean like that. Call me lazy, but my bedroom back home is still filled to the brim with all of my moving stuff from the apartment I stayed in this past summer, and a few bags that were never emptied from last school year (notebooks and such that I'll never use but don't want to throw away in case I need them for future statistics or economics classes). It is my goal before 2014 to get it it all organized and tidy once again. I love me a clean room, as my much more put-together college dorm room can attest to.
You number your produce and that makes you fabulous. And an evil mastermind. That would totally solve my dilemmas of "which squash should I bake first?"
Quirks of mine? While you read magazines from front to back, I actually have the strange habit of reading them back to front 90% of the time. Especially with the nutrition magazines there are always fun little stories or memos in the back that I like to read. Also, I always have way too many tabs open on my internet browser, making it impossible for me to get through all of them in one sitting. This post for instance has been opened for a few days now. I even read it when you first posted but waited to comment. Why? No clue.
A bit stronger than you thought, huh…is that a good thing? Since you also called me evil mastermind, I’m going to assume yes. 😉
Back to forwards. Oh man, I don’t know if I could do that. And have you ever seen these memes? https://www.google.com/search?q=not+how+you+eat+it&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=99Z6UqeaG8aJrQHcv4CQDg&ved=0CAcQ_AUoAQ&biw=1290&bih=566
This is so me.
ya, i don’t do clutter well. and i have to mop everyday. EVERY DAY!
You mop every day. Wow! and THANK YOU for sharing that. Glad to know I’m not alone when it comes to my clutter phobia.
I love that you number your squash. Genius. And your linen closet gave me warm fuzzies. Yes, please, more posts like this!
Thanks sunshine! I love your comments and THANKS for the mixed tapes by the way. You are the best, and I will repay you with food. 🙂
Omg, YES!! Tell me ALL the things!! Loved this…especially the part where you left the sentence half finished! Ha! Of course after reading about just how much you need to plan, I feel like I may have disturbed the balance of the universe in your corner of Cleveland last month! 😯 Sorry, love!
I’m right there with you on doing things in order…and most definitely when it comes to food. It seriously makes my eye twitch when I go over to the man-friend’s house and he’s got two different cartons of almond milk open. I’m like, WHY? and he responds with, “Well that one is old” (which it’s not by the way…for some reason he just thinks that after like a week, it’s gonna turn purple or something!) Omg, it kills me! Oh and I totally laughed out loud at the Sleeping with the Enemy comparison because I’ve said the SAME thing about myself on numerous occasions…my pantry may get a little out of hand at times, but most days you will find everything pulled to the front and facing forward…I blame all those years of working in retail for that! Lol
You did disturb my planning balance but you were worth it. Plus it’s good for me to shake things up every now and again.
I used to work in retail….maybe that has something to do with it.
Two things of milk open at once…um yeah, you need to get the Man-Friend in order. If anyone can do it though, it’s you. I have faith.