When Jenny Macklin entertained Annabel Crabb recently on Kitchen Cabinet (ABC TV) Annabel commented on Jenny’s “exceedingly organised spice drawer”.

A text – from my sister – suddenly appeared on my iPhone:

“She calls that an organised spice drawer?”

I understood what she meant. She was, of course referring to my own spice drawer.

Jenny had no system going whatsoever. A few handwritten labels carelessly stuck on the top of mismatched jars, no sign of alphabetisation, no ability to see the label and the spice simultaneously. Who was she kidding?

…now this is an organised spice drawer

So as well as admitting that I may have a very mild case of obsessive-compulsive disorder (or perfectionism, as I prefer to call it) I’ve decided it’s time to give in to it and rather than be embarrassed, claim it as a fun and frivolous pursuit:

#11 Embrace your foibles

Once you give yourself permission, there’s no knowing where it will end.

A trip to the Reject Shop recently resulted in a magnificent find: small rectangular plastic trays perfectly proportioned to fit the very narrow width of bathroom cabinets. And better than that, they came in different lengths.

This gave me the chance to carefully measure the dimensions of the cabinet and work out all the possible permutations and combinations of tray sizes needed for a perfect fit.

I’m really on a roll now . Why not reorganise under the sink, too?

But wait, it gets worse.

While in the Reject Shop, I found these drawer dividers, so now my jumpers can be separated by colour.

 Opening this drawer creates a frisson of excitement … for mild OCD sufferers

Another little foible of mine is taking a photo of food I’ve cooked, so I can compare it to the original photos in the recipe book. (Well, okay, not just compare it, but actually attach it to the cook book.)

Roast veggies from the recipe book

…

Come and see the real thing…

So it turns out that traits I’ve always found slightly annoying (I mean, what’s the point in counting steps every single time I walk up or down them?) can be turned into something that’s fun, or if not fun, at least frivolous.

Though I haven’t worked out yet how counting steps can be put to good use. By my measure, regular exercise  by climbing a certain number of stairs is neither fun nor frivolous…