When you see a really organized person, you automatically think, “How uptight are they?” as judgment.

Many people confuse the ability to be “really organized” with a condition called obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) that affects approximately 1 in 50 people.

There is a big difference between “highly organized” people and those with OCD. Those who are highly organized do so because they see an increase in productivity, efficiency, and it provides a more aesthetically pleasing place to work or live.

Compare this to people who legitimately suffer from OCD. They are forced to line things up a certain way, label things, turn knobs a certain number of times, or repeatedly wash their hands.

One acts in a way that makes life easier (the highly organized) while the habits of the other make life increasingly difficult and full of anxiety.

Let’s start with a quick kitchen analogy.

Some people organize their pantry and line up all their canned goods to find what they need quickly and restock their kitchen efficiently. People with OCD force themselves and others to perfectly line up the labels or alphabetize the cans. And when those actions are not done perfectly, it causes great anxiety and stress. Again, the action is not performed for the sake of efficiency, but because the person literally cannot help but complete these actions perfectly or repetitively, or both.

My sister makes fun of me because I put labels on things in my kitchen. Specifically, I have containers that hold bread flour for the bread maker and regular flour for baking. The flours have different textures and are used for different purposes, but they look exactly the same. It makes sense to me to put labels on these things so I don’t have to guess. I only take bread flour or regular flour. This is a fast, efficient, and bug-free system I’ve developed to help me avoid ruining my breads and baked goods.

Now, think about your next organization project at work or at home. What do you want to achieve?

Do you literally want things super neat as a pin, everything in order and alphabetical? Or do you really just want to be able to find things quickly and easily?

Let’s stress again that being organized doesn’t have to mean suffering from OCD. Think of being organized as a habit that helps you be more efficient and effective. Compare that to OCD, where the habit becomes a requirement that actually slows down a person or a process.