• For 2024 Pilgrims: €50,- donation = 1 year with no ads on the forum + 90% off any 2024 Guide. More here.
    (Discount code sent to you by Private Message after your donation)

Search 69,459 Camino Questions

Overly Tidy and going on Camino????

David

Veteran Member
Time of past OR future Camino
First one in 2005 from Moissac, France.
Hi all - I am "overly tidy" and I just "want things to be right" - my house is so neat, underwear drawers and wardrobe like a military barracks!! and I do sometimes have problems on Camino, being surrounded by what to me seems like chaos :) o_O - so for any others like me ... here this video and song below ....

Please note - for any with serious OCD this is not making fun of that, it is more of a celebration of how we are all unique. The makers of this video wrote "We understand that OCD is a serious mental disorder that significantly affects the lives of millions of people (including Rhett's wife). This song is not intended to make fun of people with OCD, but rather to demonstrate and poke fun at the tendency of so many people to point out things that are off-center, off-balance, etc. and say "It's driving my OCD crazy!"

And I concur - Enjoy!

Here is a hint - if you too would move that R on the notice board at the beginning then this video really is for you!!

 
The one from Galicia (the round) and the one from Castilla & Leon. Individually numbered and made by the same people that make the ones you see on your walk.
Hi all - I am "overly tidy" and I just "want things to be right" - my house is so neat, underwear drawers and wardrobe like a military barracks!! and I do sometimes have problems on Camino, being surrounded by what to me seems like chaos :) o_O - so for any others like me ... here this video and song below ....

Please note - for any with serious OCD this is not making fun of that, it is more of a celebration of how we are all unique. The makers of this video wrote "We understand that OCD is a serious mental disorder that significantly affects the lives of millions of people (including Rhett's wife). This song is not intended to make fun of people with OCD, but rather to demonstrate and poke fun at the tendency of so many people to point out things that are off-center, off-balance, etc. and say "It's driving my OCD crazy!"

And I concur - Enjoy!

Here is a hint - if you too would move that R on the notice board at the beginning then this video really is for you!!

Does anyone else tidy the shelves when they go to the supermarket...especially items on the wrong shelf...?! 🤣
👣 🌏
 
Last edited:
St James' Way - Self-guided 4-7 day Walking Packages, Reading to Southampton, 110 kms
Hi all - I am "overly tidy" and I just "want things to be right" - my house is so neat, underwear drawers and wardrobe like a military barracks!! and I do sometimes have problems on Camino, being surrounded by what to me seems like chaos :) o_O - so for any others like me ... here this video and song below ....

Please note - for any with serious OCD this is not making fun of that, it is more of a celebration of how we are all unique. The makers of this video wrote "We understand that OCD is a serious mental disorder that significantly affects the lives of millions of people (including Rhett's wife). This song is not intended to make fun of people with OCD, but rather to demonstrate and poke fun at the tendency of so many people to point out things that are off-center, off-balance, etc. and say "It's driving my OCD crazy!"

And I concur - Enjoy!

Here is a hint - if you too would move that R on the notice board at the beginning then this video really is for you!!

Ha, too funny! I don't have OCD (nooo, not me!), but I related to absolutely everything in that video! 😂
Actually now that I've been newly diagnosed I can cancel the appointment I'd made with a psychiatrist.😁
 
Last edited:
Down bag (90/10 duvet) of 700 fills with 180 g (6.34 ounces) of filling. Mummy-shaped structure, ideal when you are looking for lightness with great heating performance.

€149,-
I am a lover of chaos. I think that's why I fit in so well on the Camino. It answers to no overseer or logical reason, but somehow it keeps rolling on and becoming ever more chaotic and beautiful, despite constant efforts to pave, monetize, and otherwise "improve" it.
It is not a tame animal.
The albergue's community sleeping areas can be haphazard and chaoticly strewn about all over the floor with other peoples' things, but my personal bunk space has to be absolutely puurfect. My mind goes bonkers if my stuff is not completely orderly! It keeps me sane!😂
 
The one from Galicia (the round) and the one from Castilla & Leon. Individually numbered and made by the same people that make the ones you see on your walk.
Hi all - I am "overly tidy" and I just "want things to be right" - my house is so neat, underwear drawers and wardrobe like a military barracks!! and I do sometimes have problems on Camino, being surrounded by what to me seems like chaos :) o_O - so for any others like me ... here this video and song below ....

Please note - for any with serious OCD this is not making fun of that, it is more of a celebration of how we are all unique. The makers of this video wrote "We understand that OCD is a serious mental disorder that significantly affects the lives of millions of people (including Rhett's wife). This song is not intended to make fun of people with OCD, but rather to demonstrate and poke fun at the tendency of so many people to point out things that are off-center, off-balance, etc. and say "It's driving my OCD crazy!"

And I concur - Enjoy!

Here is a hint - if you too would move that R on the notice board at the beginning then this video really is for you!!

OMG. You had me at the very beginning when he straightens the letter on the door. I haven’t had a good howling laugh like that in awhile. I can identify with way too many things here...now I’m scared!!! How will I function on the Camino LOL!!
 
I watched the video and laughed and of course thought "how can he live like that"? I am a complete disaster. My wife who is not OCD is really organized and neat. She has on more than one occasion referred to me as an animal. When I eat food drops on my shirt. I leave things everywhere, wear t-shirts inside out. Last year we I went out to meet her for dinner with friends and I was wearing two different sneakers. Never noticed it. You get the picture? When I walk into an albergue as long as no one or nothing smells bad I don't notice any mess whatsoever. I do keep myself very clean and I always wear clean clothes. I can't say they don't have spots that have not come out from a previous mustard stain. Remember I am normal and healthy and you guys are the crazy ones!!!!!
 
The one from Galicia (the round) and the one from Castilla & Leon. Individually numbered and made by the same people that make the ones you see on your walk.
I don't have, and don't want to be O.C.D. But sometimes I think that life would be easier if I had just a touch. I have to remind myself to spend adequate time on domestic matters. And preparing for a walking trip, particularly in the mountains, can be a challenge. I forget to pack things. I make lists, but sometimes forget things still. Before a recent major walk, I had a last minute list on the door, but still forgot something, when I smashed something on the kitchen floor minutes before leaving and cleaning up distracted me from the details of the list stuck to my exit door. And it doesn't get any easier as I get older. I keep my house in order with some difficulty, and panic when I am expecting guests. Only reasonably good habits established in my youth keep my home, and my life, livable. Minor O.C.D. would be a blessing.
 
Hi all - I am "overly tidy" and I just "want things to be right" - my house is so neat, underwear drawers and wardrobe like a military barracks!! and I do sometimes have problems on Camino, being surrounded by what to me seems like chaos :) o_O - so for any others like me ... here this video and song below ....

Please note - for any with serious OCD this is not making fun of that, it is more of a celebration of how we are all unique. The makers of this video wrote "We understand that OCD is a serious mental disorder that significantly affects the lives of millions of people (including Rhett's wife). This song is not intended to make fun of people with OCD, but rather to demonstrate and poke fun at the tendency of so many people to point out things that are off-center, off-balance, etc. and say "It's driving my OCD crazy!"

And I concur - Enjoy!

Here is a hint - if you too would move that R on the notice board at the beginning then this video really is for you!!

Do you hire out? I’ve got a garage and a sock drawer in dire need of organizing.
 
I watched the video and laughed and of course thought "how can he live like that"? I am a complete disaster. My wife who is not OCD is really organized and neat. She has on more than one occasion referred to me as an animal. When I eat food drops on my shirt. I leave things everywhere, wear t-shirts inside out. Last year we I went out to meet her for dinner with friends and I was wearing two different sneakers. Never noticed it. You get the picture? When I walk into an albergue as long as no one or nothing smells bad I don't notice any mess whatsoever. I do keep myself very clean and I always wear clean clothes. I can't say they don't have spots that have not come out from a previous mustard stain. Remember I am normal and healthy and you guys are the crazy ones!!!!!
It’s reassuring to know I’m not the only one. I’m not a total slob, but things, such as laundry, papers and my garage get out of control. Maybe there is a 12 Step program?
 
Very light, comfortable and compressible poncho. Specially designed for protection against water for any activity.

Our Atmospheric H30 poncho offers lightness and waterproofness. Easily compressible and made with our Waterproof fabric, its heat-sealed interior seams guarantee its waterproofness. Includes carrying bag.

€60,-
It’s reassuring to know I’m not the only one. I’m not a total slob, but things, such as laundry, papers and my garage get out of control. Maybe there is a 12 Step program?
If you keep telling yourself, like I do that we are the psychologically healthy ones than who needs a 12 step????
 
The focus is on reducing the risk of failure through being well prepared. 2nd ed.
Technical backpack for day trips with backpack cover and internal compartment for the hydration bladder. Ideal daypack for excursions where we need a medium capacity backpack. The back with Air Flow System creates large air channels that will keep our back as cool as possible.

€83,-
Is it an advantage to be extremely tidy on camino? I don't know. I guess it depends on whether your tidiness just helps you keep your gear in order and feel comfortable, or whether it results in your thinking that you have some special right to certain facilities in an albergue, or to certain behaviour from other pilgrims. I would say that I am just about tidy enough. And my reluctance to shine my flashlight around my bunk has more to do with not wanting to disturb sleeping pilgrims than with being too lazy to look. So I will continue to try to keep my gear in order and not leave any behind, while trying not to disturb others.
 
I gave one of my « quirks » a name...positional OCD. Anything out of alignment or position I cannot ignore. If the angles are wrong my panel lights all buzz. My husband knows this and at times will move items around in our home to get le going before I even realize. He gets me every time. Sheesh!!!
 
Very light, comfortable and compressible poncho. Specially designed for protection against water for any activity.

Our Atmospheric H30 poncho offers lightness and waterproofness. Easily compressible and made with our Waterproof fabric, its heat-sealed interior seams guarantee its waterproofness. Includes carrying bag.

€60,-
Funny you should bring this topic up David. I’m currently on the Camino and just the other day a South African peregrina and I were wishing that Marie Kondo, the world famous Tidiness and Decluttering guru, could pay us a visit and organise our packs for us!

Cheers - Jenny
 
I am pretty much live and let live as far as fellow pilgrim's tidiness while in albergues, assuming their personal hygiene is not so bad their odour announces their presence before they enter a room, but the one and only peeve I have is also one I cannot understand. Why do some pilgrims completely empty the contents of their backpack all over the floor next to their bunk? Things strewn everywhere, in the pathway between rows of bunks, right under the ladder where one has to climb up. Pilgrims have to dodge and weave to avoid stepping on it. They do it, and leave it and go to sleep. It is such odd behaviour?
 
I am pretty much live and let live as far as fellow pilgrim's tidiness while in albergues, assuming their personal hygiene is not so bad their odour announces their presence before they enter a room, but the one and only peeve I have is also one I cannot understand. Why do some pilgrims completely empty the contents of their backpack all over the floor next to their bunk? Things strewn everywhere, in the pathway between rows of bunks, right under the ladder where one has to climb up. Pilgrims have to dodge and weave to avoid stepping on it. They do it, and leave it and go to sleep. It is such odd behaviour?
I don't really know why people do this, besides the probability that the untidiness does not disturb them. But one element which might be related for some people would be the design of their pack. I have a pack which zippers open from the front, as well as opening from the top. So I can get items out from most places in the pack without removing everything else. And of course, the things that I need least access to, like my sleeping bag, must be put into the bottom of the pack before everything else in the morning, or they will be in the way all day in the traditional top opening only pack. And there are other items, which I might need on the trail (first aide for my feet, rain gear), things which I will need (food for lunch) and things which I may need in the morning before packing. All these things have a place for appropriate daytime accessibility in every pack, but the challenge is to get them into that place in the morning. Perhaps some walkers, particularly the inexperienced or those with poorly designed packs, find it easier to have everything accessible in the albergue and just pack in the morning.
 
Very light, comfortable and compressible poncho. Specially designed for protection against water for any activity.

Our Atmospheric H30 poncho offers lightness and waterproofness. Easily compressible and made with our Waterproof fabric, its heat-sealed interior seams guarantee its waterproofness. Includes carrying bag.

€60,-
I don't really know why people do this, besides the probability that the untidiness does not disturb them. But one element which might be related for some people would be the design of their pack. I have a pack which zippers open from the front, as well as opening from the top. So I can get items out from most places in the pack without removing everything else. And of course, the things that I need least access to, like my sleeping bag, must be put into the bottom of the pack before everything else in the morning, or they will be in the way all day in the traditional top opening only pack. And there are other items, which I might need on the trail (first aide for my feet, rain gear), things which I will need (food for lunch) and things which I may need in the morning before packing. All these things have a place for appropriate daytime accessibility in every pack, but the challenge is to get them into that place in the morning. Perhaps some walkers, particularly the inexperienced or those with poorly designed packs, find it easier to have everything accessible in the albergue and just pack in the morning.
Hmmm, perhaps. I'm thinking that your first explanation, a predisposition to untidiness (perhaps narcissism and egocentric tendencies as well) is the answer.
Fortunately I have managed to reduce my pack contents down to about ten items total (not counting shoes on my feet, q-tips and the like lol) when I walk the Camino, so I use a top opening, single compartment 32L backpack now, and no need for elaborate inventorying, item accessibility etc. Look inside and everything staring back at you, lol.
 

Most read last week in this forum

Could I ask what may be naive question. This will be my 1st Camino and I will be mostly staying in alberques. Could you please explain the bathroom/shower etiquette to me? I have no idea what...
Do i need both these apps? I want to spend as little time my device as possible so if one app will do fine that’s my preference.
I was planning to document my journey through my blog (or Vlog, as I would probably take lots of videos). I was thinking of using my iPhone, and I ordered a foldable keyboard to facilitate typing...
I did the Norte in 2017. This set off a wild ride of changes in life - shifting many things. I am now at a new plateau and it feels like the right time to do Camino #2, this time the...
Hi to all, I'm looking for a really, really good place (an artist) to get a Tattoo in Santiago, it could be before Santiago but I presume in Santiago I will be ready to have my first one. The...
My daughter and I will be on the Portuguese on June and July starting in Lisbon. We will arrive in Porto about the 27th of June. We want to stay for three nights. Can we stay in an albergue for...

❓How to ask a question

How to post a new question on the Camino Forum.

Forum Rules

Forum Rules

Camino Updates on YouTube

Camino Conversations

Most downloaded Resources

This site is run by Ivar at

in Santiago de Compostela.
This site participates in the Amazon Affiliate program, designed to provide a means for Ivar to earn fees by linking to Amazon
Official Camino Passport (Credential) | 2024 Camino Guides
Back
Top