People who never shut a drawer all the way (husband, everything)
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Have you noticed how some people, as soon as they finish using something put it away? At their work desk, they would be working on 4 projects at the same time, but as soon as they do one piece of a project they have to put all those "files" away ( be it paper or close the electronic) before they open stuff for the next project - and they do this over and over again going back to earlier projects and having to open stuff up again.
Versus - the "pile" person. Who does NOT like to put things away because then they forget about them. They want all the papers they are working with "currently" (maybe for the whole week!) out in the open...on their computer they have 5 documents, 8 spreadsheets, 25 browser tabs open at once?
These people have different ways of organizing and processing data...kinda like people who have to have all drawers shut neat and tidy and others keep things open so they can see what's inside.
I like this one (since I'm both a "pile" person, as well as one who often leaves doors and drawers open -- but, not compulsively). For years, I juggled 7-8 projects (plus sermons and lessons) at any given time. Cleaning-up and putting things away meant I was done with a project.
I have no idea what the open door/drawer thing is about ... although I do like to "keep my options open." My wife is more concerned about the door/drawer thing than I am and often closes them, while I'm still doing something. I try to cooperate, but often simply have something more important on my mind and get distracted.
My SO leaves cabinets and drawers open all the time. It drives me crazy. Not just open an inch or so but wide open. His 5-drawer dresser usually has 4 drawers open. Wide open. I'm waiting for it to tip over one day. Don't you have to close a top drawer to access a lower drawer??
Luckily, we have two spare bedrooms in the house and one is "his" and one is "mine". He has two dressers and a desk in his spare room. Most drawers are open to some degree. I just walk by and look the other way. If this was going on in the Master bedroom, I'm sure I would have declared all out war on him. When he leaves kitchen cabinets open, I just close them (sometimes loudly so he gets the hint). Even the tiny drawer in the end table is left wide open.
Go into his room and shut all his drawers. I'll bet he won't even notice.
Just because someone likes things to look orderly and neat doesn't mean they are OCD, and usually when randomly opened drawers and cabinets bother someone, it's probably because it looks sloppy to them. Are you saying there's something wrong with their preference for things to look and be orderly?
My husband has THE most disorganized mind - it's amazing, actually. And you know what - he's really smart and he's witty and he's so kind - I just love him to pieces. But yes, his disorganized mind causes problems sometimes, and I don't know when to say something and when not to sometimes.
I think the same "whatever in his brain" that makes him never put his wallet and keys down in the same place, also makes him prone to leaving cabinets and drawers randomly open. Now - he is not a messy person, and he likes for things to be clean, and he is constantly "organizing the garage" or "organizing his drawers," - except they are not very organized when he's done. They look neater but there's still not usually much rhyme or reason to them.
Consequently, he spends a lot of time each day looking for common items.
It doesn't matter what time I start getting dressed to go somewhere - it never fails - I am ALWAYS sitting in the car waiting for him, because he can't find something, or he came out to the car and then realized he didn't have something - like his phone, or wallet, or keys - with him. It does me absolutely no good to try to help him in this - in fact, he is prone to take offense if I try to offer advice or if I remind him to get something before he leaves. Or if I remind him, "We need to turn left up here." I mean, he will be all the way over in the right hand lane, 100 feet from the left turn, and if I finally say, "We need to turn left here," he usually says, "I know that - sheeze, what do you think I was doing? I was going to turn left. You don't have to remind me." So - if I don't remind him, and he passes the turn up, then he says, "What is wrong with me, where am I going? Were you going to say anything?"
Anyway, like I said, I think the same glitch also makes him forget to close cabinet doors and drawers. And if I say something about that, I get the same response about turning left or right - "I know - sheeze, what do you think I am, a complete idiot? I was going to close that. You are so impatient." Really? You were going to close it? When - after we got done with dinner? After we watch a movie? At what point did you plan on closing it? I KNOW YOU FORGOT TO CLOSE IT.
I realize I'm making my husband sound like an idiot. Actually, he works in a very fast paced work environment and under a lot of pressure to make quick decisions that are very expensive and can be very dangerous even in the best of circumstances. And he is FANTASTIC at that sort of thing. He's also a very observant man in many ways, and believe me, if you are in a crisis, you want him right there, because he is ON IT. Sometimes I wonder if closing cabinet doors and drawers, and picking up his wallet, or putting his keys in the same place when he comes in just feels mundane and uninteresting to him. I don't know.
Oh, Kathryn, your husband sounds so much like mine! I call mine the absent minded professor. He truly is! He doesn't even realize that he leaves the drawers open, etc. He constantly "loses" his keys, wallet, cell phone, in our house. He always has to search through all of his pockets, and look in random places to find them. I put a basket near the door for him to use and tried my best to teach him to always put his keys and wallet in there when he gets home from work, so he'd know where his things are, but he just can't seem to remember to do it.
I adore him, but he does drive me crazy sometimes!
I'm one of those leave the drawers open people who also puts away everything as I use it and cleans the dishes/pots as I'm cooking. And shutso all doors and turns off all lights.
Probably there's not a correlation.
I'm one of those leave the drawers open people who also puts away everything as I use it and cleans the dishes/pots as I'm cooking. And shutso all doors and turns off all lights.
Probably there's not a correlation.
Yeah, I leave drawers and cabinet doors open, but I always push in chairs and turn out lights and put dishes in the dishwasher. We've all got our things, I guess.
Just because someone likes things to look orderly and neat doesn't mean they are OCD, and usually when randomly opened drawers and cabinets bother someone, it's probably because it looks sloppy to them. Are you saying there's something wrong with their preference for things to look and be orderly?
My husband has THE most disorganized mind - it's amazing, actually. And you know what - he's really smart and he's witty and he's so kind - I just love him to pieces. But yes, his disorganized mind causes problems sometimes, and I don't know when to say something and when not to sometimes.
I think the same "whatever in his brain" that makes him never put his wallet and keys down in the same place, also makes him prone to leaving cabinets and drawers randomly open. Now - he is not a messy person, and he likes for things to be clean, and he is constantly "organizing the garage" or "organizing his drawers," - except they are not very organized when he's done. They look neater but there's still not usually much rhyme or reason to them.
Consequently, he spends a lot of time each day looking for common items.
It doesn't matter what time I start getting dressed to go somewhere - it never fails - I am ALWAYS sitting in the car waiting for him, because he can't find something, or he came out to the car and then realized he didn't have something - like his phone, or wallet, or keys - with him. It does me absolutely no good to try to help him in this - in fact, he is prone to take offense if I try to offer advice or if I remind him to get something before he leaves. Or if I remind him, "We need to turn left up here." I mean, he will be all the way over in the right hand lane, 100 feet from the left turn, and if I finally say, "We need to turn left here," he usually says, "I know that - sheeze, what do you think I was doing? I was going to turn left. You don't have to remind me." So - if I don't remind him, and he passes the turn up, then he says, "What is wrong with me, where am I going? Were you going to say anything?"
Anyway, like I said, I think the same glitch also makes him forget to close cabinet doors and drawers. And if I say something about that, I get the same response about turning left or right - "I know - sheeze, what do you think I am, a complete idiot? I was going to close that. You are so impatient." Really? You were going to close it? When - after we got done with dinner? After we watch a movie? At what point did you plan on closing it? I KNOW YOU FORGOT TO CLOSE IT.
I realize I'm making my husband sound like an idiot. Actually, he works in a very fast paced work environment and under a lot of pressure to make quick decisions that are very expensive and can be very dangerous even in the best of circumstances. And he is FANTASTIC at that sort of thing. He's also a very observant man in many ways, and believe me, if you are in a crisis, you want him right there, because he is ON IT. Sometimes I wonder if closing cabinet doors and drawers, and picking up his wallet, or putting his keys in the same place when he comes in just feels mundane and uninteresting to him. I don't know.
It's just you being maternal and caring about your husband. In fact it is this interplay between you both that probably makes the marriage work. Now if say you were a bitter hard type, hell bent on one upping your husband , that man would be long gone by now. We guys actually like our SO to fuss about us a bit. There is an inbuilt radar that distinguishes between a well meaning nagging session and a Kathy Bates type of control freak.
You sound like you have nothing to worry about and I would hazard a guess you are married for quite some time?.
But yes if anything I would put the "OCD" diagnosis on the OP as being so bothered by the behavior as to make this post.
Don't know if you are serious or joking (you used a smiley and not a winky).
I've posted many many times, that simply posting about something in an anonymous forum does not mean it's earthshatteringly important or that it's something I'm deeply concerned with or it's on the forefront of my mind.
Look at all the thing people post here on C-D or on social media. There is no rule that one must only post about profoundly important matters. Posting about something does not mean one has a disorder.
Making a post online takes very little effort, and it's usually much more gratifying to just post it, laugh about it, get some validation on it, and move on with life. That is hardly what I would call obsessing.
It seems like so many people here have this all-or-nothing notion that a person must either be completely scatterbrained and careless, or if you are not, then you must have OCD. No in-between.
I think closing or not closing is a habit most of us develop really young. I grew up in a very neat household with ample closet, cupboard and drawer space for everything. We were "closers" and I still am. My husband grew up in a cramped NY apt without enough space for anything. Everything was jumbled and disorganized. They were "not closers" and he still isn't. Now that he has developed mild dementia it is getting worse. I reached in the back of the fridge to get a jar of pickes and the lid just came off in my hand and the jar spilled all over the fridge.
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I like this one (since I'm both a "pile" person, as well as one who often leaves doors and drawers open -- but, not compulsively). For years, I juggled 7-8 projects (plus sermons and lessons) at any given time. Cleaning-up and putting things away meant I was done with a project. 
