# Stupid OCD Shit I Do. (go on, list yours) **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [March 1, 2011, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-ocd-shit-i-do-go-on-list-yours/572998 "2011-03-01T00:38:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![nani](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/58956e/32.png) [@nani](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nani)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2011, 6:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-ocd-shit-i-do-go-on-list-yours/572998/21 "2011-03-01T06:39:11Z")
When I have two pieces of pizza I always eat the smaller one first. I constantly fret about whether I really locked my car or if I’m only thinking I remember the horn going off. What’s worse is that I always have these little inner conversations while I’m walking away from the car, and every step just means more I have to walk to get back into range of the remote, and I get more and more conflicted until I just finally run back and relock the car. Sometimes it happens twice. This also happens (though less often) with leaving my house. Now when the car beeps after I lock it, I strongly tell myself, see, you heard it beep, you heard it beep, it’s locked, you’re not dreaming you did that. That helps. But sometimes I still forget. ---
**Author:** ![EvilTOJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee59a6/32.png) [@EvilTOJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EvilTOJ)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2011, 8:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-ocd-shit-i-do-go-on-list-yours/572998/22 "2011-03-01T08:24:34Z")
The kids’ mom used to get irate with me about the dishwasher thing too. Then she’d get mad when I would never load it either. I just couldn’t win. Before I leave the house for work I do a patdown on my pockets for all my stuff. Phone, keys, wallet, badge. I always say it in that order, even if I don’t find the items in that order. I also always wake up about 5 minutes after going to sleep to make sure the alarm is _actually_ set and I didn’t just dream about it. I also tend to feel naked if I don’t bring my huge [del]purse manbag[/del] backpack with me anywhere I go. ---
**Author:** ![Isamu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/7c8e57/32.png) [@Isamu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isamu)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2011, 8:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-ocd-shit-i-do-go-on-list-yours/572998/23 "2011-03-01T08:40:23Z")
I try to avoid stepping on, not just cracks, but also invisible linear projections from the corners of buildings, fences, entryways, walls. But that’s just normal right? 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Nobody](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/94ad74/32.png) [@Nobody](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nobody)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2011, 8:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-ocd-shit-i-do-go-on-list-yours/572998/24 "2011-03-01T08:50:00Z")
I don’t have any physical habits (that I’m aware of), but in my mind… A few weeks ago I realized that I’ll think of something, and then repeat it over and over again in my head. For example, I’m thinking of a conversation I had and I’ll think, “Oh, I should have said blah blah blah” (No, not literally blah blah blah :p) Anyway, this is what’s in my mind: “Oh, I should have said blah blah blah”, “Oh, I should have said blah blah blah”, “Oh, I should have said blah blah blah”, “Oh, I should have said blah blah blah”, “Oh, I should have said blah blah blah”… and it goes on and on. Now that I realize that I do this I’m more likely to catch myself, stop doing it, and force my brain to move on. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2011, 8:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-ocd-shit-i-do-go-on-list-yours/572998/25 "2011-03-01T08:51:00Z")
It’s not really stupid, I mean, hey, it’s actually a habit I chose to pick up… but I got used to tossing any food wrappers or containers out ASAP. My desk and living room do not contain candy wrappers, empty yoghurt containers, banana peels, pizza boxes, chinese takeout boxes, etc. except for the time I’m actually eating whatever. My brothers have the same custom; I think it may actually be something I introduced during the year+ Mom was bedridden, leaving me as primary homemaker: I simply did not have the time to go picking after people, so if the Bros wanted their clothes washed they had to put them in the hamper and if they wanted their floor sweeped it had to be free of obstacles. Mom doesn’t. She finds it rude when she drops a candy wrapper on the floor and we pick it up and take it to the trash; we find it unnerving that she drops it on the floor. We get anxious seeing that wrapper on the floor or that empty yoghurt sitting among the magazines on the coffee table. Since we proved to her that all three of us have a problem with this, she’s stopped complaining verbally that we’re rude for taking her trash where it belongs but she still makes faces. But yeah, she’ll open the closet, take a piece of candy, sit in her armchair, drop the wrapper on the floor, then whomever of us is there takes the wrapper to the trash (leaving her mid-sentence) and comes back to a pouting Mom. So it’s a good custom in that it makes homemaking easier and keeps the house neater but a bad custom in that it irritates her (often in her own house). ---
**Author:** ![norinew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/eb9ed0/32.png) [@norinew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/norinew)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2011, 9:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-ocd-shit-i-do-go-on-list-yours/572998/26 "2011-03-01T09:07:49Z")
> [@Rebo](#): > > Who else washes their body in the same order, every single time? > > 😃 I do! I do! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Labtrash](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/labtrash/32/528_2.png) [@Labtrash](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labtrash)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2011, 11:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-ocd-shit-i-do-go-on-list-yours/572998/27 "2011-03-01T11:49:35Z")
> [@Rebo](#): > > Who else washes their body in the same order, every single time? > > 😃 I do! ---
**Author:** ![Labtrash](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/labtrash/32/528_2.png) [@Labtrash](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labtrash)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2011, 11:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-ocd-shit-i-do-go-on-list-yours/572998/28 "2011-03-01T11:52:27Z")
I’m a food sorter. M&Ms: seperate into like colors, eat clockwise till all colors have the same number, then eat each like color pile (clockwise again). Chips: eat the broken chips first, then go for the “whole” ones. ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Credible](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a8b319/32.png) [@Justin\_Credible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Credible)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2011, 12:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-ocd-shit-i-do-go-on-list-yours/572998/29 "2011-03-01T12:06:03Z")
I prefer even numbers in almost everything. The volume on the tv and on the radio has to be on an even number, and I really prefer them to be on a multiple of 4. If I’m doing something like tapping my foot or biting at my lip, I’m subconciously counting the number of times in my head 1-2-3-4, 1-2-3-4… When I go to bed, I have to turn my fan on before my white noise machine. And when I get up, I have to turn the white noise machine off first, before the fan. Doing it the other way just seems wrong. I also check my alarm about a dozen times before I go to bed, just in case I set something wrong. Oh, and I guess I’m compulsive when it comes to keeping everything in its place. I can usually tell when something has been moved, even subtly. Believe it or not, my OCD has actually gotten way better over the last few years, and I no longer freak out about things like I listed above. If someone else moves something or would happen to turn the fan off first or whatever, it wouldn’t bother me. It’s just that I feel the need to do it that way. The only thing that I would feel the overwhelming urge to fix is if someone had the volume on an odd number. I just cannot abide that. ---
**Author:** ![Waldelfe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f08c70/32.png) [@Waldelfe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Waldelfe)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2011, 12:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-ocd-shit-i-do-go-on-list-yours/572998/30 "2011-03-01T12:13:19Z")
> [@Rebo](#): > > Who else washes their body in the same order, every single time? > > 😃 I do. I have to peel the butter out of the larger holes in my sandwich. And I eat my Toffifay in a certain order. First I peel off the chocolate tip, then I scatch off the caramel with my teeth and at last I eat the nut. ---
**Author:** ![MissTake](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/misstake/32/3189_2.png) [@MissTake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MissTake)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2011, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-ocd-shit-i-do-go-on-list-yours/572998/31 "2011-03-01T13:31:42Z")
Every night I have to check the doors. Doesn’t matter that I can see the doors are locked, or that I know I locked them an hour prior, my before bedtime routine includes turning the handles and unlocking/relocking the deadbolts. If I do not do this, and I hear a noise at night, I freak - thinking someone walked in the house. One night I did not do this, I don’t remember why, and realized the next morning that the front door was unlocked all night. Of course no one came in, but I was freaked out for a few days. Also, during the nightly walkaround, I make sure all the burners on the stove are off, the computer monitor is off, and the curtains are completely closed (again, they usually are closed by that point anyways, but I must double check). I also have food touching issues. Especially mashed potatoes - nothing can bleed into them. Drives my family nuts during holidays. There’s a stack of plates… and one bowl for me and my taters. ---
**Author:** ![Sigmagirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c89c15/32.png) [@Sigmagirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigmagirl)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2011, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-ocd-shit-i-do-go-on-list-yours/572998/32 "2011-03-01T13:35:38Z")
The thermostat in my car has to be set to an even number. ---
**Author:** ![not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/not_what_you_d_expect/32/3246_2.png) [@not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/not_what_you_d_expect)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2011, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-ocd-shit-i-do-go-on-list-yours/572998/33 "2011-03-01T13:54:33Z")
I can not use the waste basket in the bathroom. It MUST be empty at all times. If I can’t flush it, I will leave the bathroom to throw the trash in the kitchen trash can rather than use the waste basket that is right there! ---
**Author:** ![MikeG](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mikeg/32/4329_2.png) [@MikeG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MikeG)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2011, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-ocd-shit-i-do-go-on-list-yours/572998/34 "2011-03-01T14:44:39Z")
> [@Isamu](#): > > I try to avoid stepping on, not just cracks, but also invisible linear projections from the corners of buildings, fences, entryways, walls. > > But that’s just normal right? 😛 I count the sidewalk blocks by 3’s up to 15 with streets and alleys ideally being 12. e.g. 3,6,9(the curb, 12(the street), 15(curb), 3 repeat. But your linear projections have me intrigued, I may become quite cross with you if this sticks! ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2011, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-ocd-shit-i-do-go-on-list-yours/572998/35 "2011-03-01T14:45:30Z")
> [@Raginghormonal](#): > > I can not use the waste basket in the bathroom. It MUST be empty at all times. If I can’t flush it, I will leave the bathroom to throw the trash in the kitchen trash can rather than use the waste basket that is right there! I read through this entire thread applying each example to me: ‘nope, nope, nope…’ Until this very last post. I WILL NOT use the bathroom waste basket for ANYTHING. I floss in the bathroom, then walk to the kitchen trash to dispose of it. A subscription card slips out of a magazine when I’m taking care of business, I walk it to the kitchen trash to dispose of it (once I’m finished, of course). I cut a loose thread off of my shorts, then walk to the kitchen trash to dispose of it. The waste basket is not empty, of course. It’s full of Mrs. Mustard’s discarded bathroom trash. GRRRR. mmm ---
**Author:** ![MindsEye\_Watering](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mindseye_watering/32/3619_2.png) [@MindsEye\_Watering](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MindsEye_Watering)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2011, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-ocd-shit-i-do-go-on-list-yours/572998/36 "2011-03-01T14:46:11Z")
Light switches. I have several locations in the house that have a gang of three or four light switches, and in most locations, there is more than one switch that control the same lights. If all lights are off, then those groups (not the singles) must all be down. For some reason, the single switches don’t bother me. Also,\*\*\* nobody\*\*\* loads the dishwasher correctly except me. ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Credible](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a8b319/32.png) [@Justin\_Credible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Credible)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2011, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-ocd-shit-i-do-go-on-list-yours/572998/37 "2011-03-01T14:50:19Z")
> [@MindsEye\_Watering](#): > > Light switches. I have several locations in the house that have a gang of three or four light switches, and in most locations, there is more than one switch that control the same lights. If all lights are off, then those groups (not the singles) must all be down. For some reason, the single switches don’t bother me. Oh! I do this one too. I don’t have any groups of switches in my house now, but when I lived with my mom, there were several, and I always had to have them going the same direction. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2011, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-ocd-shit-i-do-go-on-list-yours/572998/38 "2011-03-01T14:50:38Z")
> [@Heyoka13](#): > > Doesn’t everybody eat their M&Ms in groups of 3, with 2 the same color and one different? > (My mother has a visceral shudder every time she sees me do this) No, you turn them all with the lettering on top, then turn them all so the m’s are all correctly aligned, then eat the colors so that the distribution of colors remains somewhat constant throughout. When I mow the yard, when I come to the end of my neighbor’s split rail fence I slap the top of the post. When I eat pizza, the crust of each piece gets eaten first before I allow myself to eat the good stuff. ---
**Author:** ![sandra\_nz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eada6e/32.png) [@sandra\_nz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sandra_nz)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2011, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-ocd-shit-i-do-go-on-list-yours/572998/39 "2011-03-01T15:02:25Z")
> [@Emily\_Litella](#): > > I’m only OCD when it comes to math and money. I never round up or down or “fudge the numbers”. I find I waste a lot of time doing this too. But my checkbook is always balanced. This reminds me of a customer I used to get when I was a bank teller. She couldn’t bear for her account balance not to be a rounded number and only ever made rounded deposits/withdrawals. Each month, when interest was paid on the account, she would come and withdraw enough to leave a round number in the account. ---
**Author:** ![campp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@campp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/campp)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2011, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-ocd-shit-i-do-go-on-list-yours/572998/40 "2011-03-01T15:04:16Z")
Sometimes I have to get out of the car, and go back to be _absolutely certain_ that I locked the front door. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-ocd-shit-i-do-go-on-list-yours/572998.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-ocd-shit-i-do-go-on-list-yours/572998.md?page=3)