Task Completion & OCPD
So I am trying to parse out whether this is an ADHD thing, an OCPD thing, or a combination. I am in remission from my OCPD and generally can handle disturbances to my routines with a lot more flexibility these days. I have basically learned to function mostly normally and what remains is exceptionally high conscientiousness, but the rigidity has softened considerably. However, one area that continues to be very… sticky… is around my open tasks being interfered with by others.
For example:
- I am in the midst of doing laundry tasks. I walk out of the laundry room to bring my laundry bag back upstairs. Or I run to grab a wayward towel that I forgot in another room that should be thrown in with the load of towels. Or I want to grab the laundry basket now so it’s already in the laundry room when the dryer is done.
I come back and the laundry room door is now closed, because my father’s home office is across from the laundry room and he understandably doesn’t want to hear the dryer making noises while he’s on work calls. I immediately get agitated and insist that he not close the door while I’m still in laundry mode. “If the door is open, I am still using the laundry room. I always close it when I am done. Please respect that I have left it open for good reason.”
- I am getting ready for bed in my bathroom, which directly abuts my bedroom. I often go back and forth between my room and the bathroom repeatedly as I do my nighttime routine. Sometimes I need to wait 10 minutes for my night guard to be properly disinfected and I want to watch TV in the meantime. Sometimes I’m not ready to take my contacts out yet. I leave the bathroom light on because I am still in the midst of my nighttime routine tasks.
I come out of my room to resume tasks like washing my face, and one of my parents has turned the bathroom light off. It feels like a violation. I would never leave a light on in a room unless I was still engaging in a task related to the room. I will then inform my parents that the bathroom light is to remain on if I have left it on. I understand that this is impractical and a waste of electricity.
I am very deliberate about every decision I make, and it feels like when my tasks get interrupted, that the other person is robbing me of my ability to properly complete my task. The task feels like my possession, and the premature closure of my task is a theft of sorts. That sounds so ridiculous and as I’ve written this post, it has become clear that this is related to OCPD - probably a combination of the two, though.
Can anyone relate to this specific quirk? I have no idea why this is one of the residual issues I have since I’ve healed, but I am always trying to explore where I am still falling short (in a healthy, non-self-flagellating way.) It’s more about being interested in continuous self-improvement, rather than being self-critical.