Some days, it feels like the entire world is falling apart. Then you look around and realize that no, it’s just your house. It can be challenging at times to make sure everything is where it should be. But when we let loose and stop overthinking things, chaos can reign. Some of the funniest photos show what happens when disorganized people are left in charge or ask for help from disorganized people. You’ll never see a pencil sharpener the same way again!
Pinterest Organization Gone Wrong
We’ve all seen and been inspired by the organization tips found on the internet and sites such as Pinterest. But WHY in the world would you go through the trouble of outlining your pots and pans if you weren’t going to stick with it? This seems so simple to make right and yet….
Honestly, this seems like something that happens when “the organized spouse” goes out of town. It’s like, now there’s nobody here to enforce the system so it’s time to party! As the Organized one in my house, coming home to this mess would be a disaster. One thing is for sure – this would never in a million years fly in my kitchen.
Not What We Were Going For
Remember those trips to the front of the classroom to sharpen your pencil? There are few things in life as satisfying as a perfectly sharpened pencil, and when you get to touch that pointed lead tip to a blank piece of notebook paper…. wow. There’s just nothing quite like it. If you know, you know. Our elementary school selves certainly knew what was up.
This abomination on the other hand… these pencils deserve to go right in the trash. I wouldn’t wish the utter disappointment of pulling these out of the sharpener on my worst enemy. Some may blame the person for their poor sharpening technique, but I think this is just bad luck. And a bad pencil.
Okay, WHO Did This?
Picture this: you spend hours in the kitchen mixing ingredients, baking a cake to golden-brown perfection, carefully decorating it with dusted sugar in perfect geometric lines, only to have someone grab the knife and commit this culinary crime. Would you speak to this person again? Would you still be able to enjoy this cake?
All I’m saying is this person would not be allowed back in my kitchen to eat my cake ever again. At the very least they would lose their cake cutting privileges. Mary Berry of Great British Bakeoff fame would most definitely NOT approve of this haphazard cutting catastrophe. Good riddance!
Someone Call the Contractor
Hello? Hi. I think there’s been a terrible mistake. Someone meant to update a classic, older building with some modern window treatments… only they seem to have misunderstood the assignment. Instead of replacing the windows, they decided to add new ones just slightly to the left of the originals.
Now everybody on the street will cringe at this sight as they walk by. Hooray! Next time, I feel that they should hire an architect and contractor who have a better eye for how to update older buildings or are at least capable of using a measuring tape. Seems like it should be a prerequisite for the job.
Send It Back!
If I opened this box of brand new graphite pencils, I think I would have to send them back to the manufacturer and an angry note. Did someone think that maybe we wouldn’t notice the SINGLE backward pencil? There’s something about having just one pencil out of place that is so deeply triggering to perfectionists.
Artists are also people who are especially talented in spotting beauty and symmetry in the world, so this must be particularly unsettling for them. Who’s to say if this was due to human error or machine error, either way, whoever was checking quality control was asleep on the job.
This Has to Be a Prank, Right?
Okay, this is the kind of thing that my middle school self would have found hilarious. It’s almost as if someone switched the signs on purpose to sow chaos and create embarrassing situations for everyone involved. And kudos to them, because I think they pretty much succeeded in their mission.
I wonder how long it took for someone to notice this mixup. And if whoever needed to use the restrooms decided to be bold and take their chances or if they just gave up and walked away. Either way, this bathroom should have a sign that says “NOT FOR PERFECTIONISTS.”
Little Shop of Horrors
Uhhhh this is beyond creepy to other people, right? It’s not just me? Okay, great. Perfectionism and organization aside, this is the sort of mistake that can haunt a person’s dreams. Or nightmares. Probably nightmares. Because truly, how can you look at this backward humanoid creature and not feel chills running up your spine?
I hope for everyone’s sake that this mistake was corrected quickly and didn’t have the opportunity to scare some little kids. It’s almost as if whoever set up this mannequin didn’t know what a human body looked like. The more I stare at it, the more I feel like I’ve entered the Twilight Zone or the Upside Down world. *Shivers*
This Can’t Go Unnoticed
Okay, I know super organized perfectionists may be a lot to handle sometimes, but put yourself in our shoes! We can’t walk by this architectural disaster without cringing at the just-off-the-mark construction! We can’t NOT notice this small yet annoying imperfection. And you know once we notice it the first time, there’s no letting it slide.
This is the kind of thing that drives perfectionists NUTS. Others may be able to go about their days, but not us. No siree Bob! This will bother us for a long time to come. Maybe the contractor should have hired a perfectionist, to begin with, and avoided this whole disaster.
Door-to-Door Service, Literally
There might be such a thing as too good when it comes to delivery services. While we understand that the delivery person was doing their job in bringing the package right to the customer’s doorstep, they might have considered what will happen when the customer opens the door… and sent the package flying down the stairs.
Now the only way to get the package is to open the door as slowly and carefully as possible and *cross your fingers* that there isn’t anything breakable in there! Or just resign to being trapped inside the home forevermore and getting fresh air through the small two-inch crack between the door frame and the package. Yeah, risking a broken package sounds better.
Dealing with a Messy Spouse
I don’t think there’s anything quite as testing to a relationship as one person who is a neat freak and the other who is… well, not so much. Coming home to ripped boxes of oats, open bags of chips, and a destroyed jar of peanut butter is enough to send any Type A person over the edge.
If this is you and your spouse, hopefully, you can find a way to laugh about the situation and not get too worked up. Or maybe it’s time for a little heart-to-heart about the importance of a clean pantry. Either way, best of luck to all you tidy spouses out there!
What a Great View We Have Here!
There’s nothing worse than boarding a plane only to realize you’re sitting in the ONE row without a window… even when you’re in the window seat! Not only does it throw off the symmetry of the airplane windows, but now you don’t even get to see the city from above! Or even the clouds!
It looks like this eager first-time flyer at least had a humorous attitude about the situation, but if I were his parents, I’d ask for a seat change. I mean, come on! He’s even wearing an aviation jacket just for the occasion! Who wouldn’t want to help this kid to see the clouds?
Looks Like Someone Made the Deli-Owner Mad
Be careful how you talk to the person who’s making your sandwich! You could end up with something like this ~ an interesting~ sliced delicacy. The original post stated that they asked for the sandwich to be cut in three. I guess this is sort of what they asked for? I mean, it’s not technically wrong.
To the average perfectionist, the idea that the parts of the sandwich wouldn’t be equal is just unthinkable. It would never occur to us to ask for the sandwich to be cut into EQUAL thirds, it just seems so obvious. I guess sometimes you just have to be more specific to get what you want.
Turn It Off!
For many people, cooking is a relaxing way to end the day. For some, it’s an important way to show people, love. However, for the OCD home chef, this stovetop is the stuff of absolute nightmares. Can you imagine every time you go to turn on the stove, you have to see the mismatched cooktop?
Whoever was in charge of quality control was not paying attention to the day this one made it down the assembly line. For the unfortunate perfectionist cook who has to use this stovetop every single day, I hope it’s at least under warranty and can be replaced as soon as humanly possible.
So Cute and Yet so Triggering
Normally, pictures of adorable puppies bring nothing but an absolute joy. This photo, however, makes me want to scream, pull my hair, and then reach through the screen to rearrange the last two little fluff balls until they are in perfect order. I will not be satisfied until I see this pattern corrected.
While we can’t blame the sweet, innocent puppies for triggering our OCD tendencies, we can question whoever thought it was a good idea to post this photo without first rearranging the two puppies on the left. It’s almost as if they did it on purpose… but now the question is why?
Better to Just Start Over…
Hats off to all the artists out there – especially the ones making beautiful murals on public walls, or gorgeous tile mosaics beneath our feet. While not everything can be as photo-worthy as the Sistine Chapel, this unfortunate floor mosaic really should have been re-done before allowing it out in the world.
So much about this mosaic works so well: the tiles, the colors, the geometric pattern. And yet we have to wonder, ‘did they just run out of the right tiles??’ How exactly did this happen? Artists are usually their own worst critics, but I think we’ll find a lot of unhappy perfectionists staring down at this in bewilderment for years to come.
What Are You Even Good for?
You have ONE job to do, eraser! Just ONE job! We all know the feeling of horror and frustration when you expect a simple product to do one thing… and it does quite another. Instead of helping to neatly correct this white page, this little devil of an eraser makes an even bigger mess.
At that point, the perfectionist just has to give up and bang their head on the desk. Who could even create such a pencil in good consciousness? It’s almost better to just switch to using a pen. At least you won’t be so betrayed. That is until you make a mistake with the pen that you can’t undo. There’s no winning here.
Do We Get a Discount for This?
Imagine walking through the aisles of the toy store and your kid picks this abomination up and throws it in the cart. Not in my house, kiddo. This kind of Frankenstein packaging stays here at the store, thank you very much! But seriously, did nobody notice that the capsules are supposed to be packaged at the bottom??
Moral of the story here: better hire someone with OCD to do your quality control. At the very least, make sure the customer can read the name of the toy on the packaging. That seems like something important when you’re hoping people will pay money for this little kid’s toy.
Maybe They Won’t See Me…
One of these things is just not like the others. If you weren’t paying attention at the store, you could wind up with a stow-away Pepsi bottle in your package of Coca-Cola. And if you didn’t see the label, you certainly would know something bad happened with the soda hitting your tastebuds.
I guess there are people out there for whom this wouldn’t be such a big deal. But then again, when you’re looking for Coke and you end up with a Pepsi, it just sort of takes the fun out of the party – like getting knock-off Jordan’s or listening to a Dave Matthews cover band.
To Think They Hired a Professional
We all know that sometimes what we imagine in our heads just doesn’t come out the way we had hoped. Any DIYer will tell you that some projects are just out of your league and it’s best to hire someone who knows what they’re doing to avoid costly mistakes like this…
When it comes to matters of the home, however, these kinds of mistakes can not only annoy the resident perfectionist but cost a lot of money (not to mention time) to re-do and make right. Or if you’re more laid-back than I am, you could just commit to never opening that drawer.
Not a Perfect Fit
How convenient! The package was delivered super quickly and placed right at your front door! And I mean RIGHT at your front door. So close in fact, that you will not be able to turn your door handle and you will be trapped inside your apartment until the end of time.
As hilarious as this is, the people inside did have to call the locksmith to be let out of their own home and are probably not going to be ordering any more packages for at least a little while. Okay, maybe just until next week. Or tomorrow. Why is online shopping just so tempting?!
Cleanup on Aisle 3
This is one of those times in which the perfectionist might just think, “is ANYWHERE really safe for me to go?!” And the answer to that would be no, no it is not. You can’t even go to a simple grocery store without encountering something so wrong as a giant misplaced tile right there in the middle of the store.
If you weren’t prone to OCD tendencies, you may just roll your cart right over this catastrophe. But for the rest of us, this is a day ruiner. You just can’t unsee it. I’d buy an extra white tile for you people to replace this green one and stop this madness! Is it that hard to replace this tile?
Nope. Not.
Honestly, the grocery store is just a gigantic trigger breeding ground for the perfectionists among us. If I saw this perfectly arranged display of mustard with just ONE bottle facing the wrong way, I would just turn around and leave. More than likely, I would have to reach out and fix it.
This kind of condiment chaos is so deeply disturbing, that it had to be intentional. But what kind of mad man would do such a thing, and more importantly, why? Only a monster would have the heart to wreak such havoc on innocent OCD people just going about their grocery shopping. Think of other people’s feelings, would you?
I’ll Just Take the Stairs
Whoever installed these buttons needs to go back and re-read the manual. For most of us, this would be enough to make us just get out of the elevator and opt to hike up as many flights of stairs as necessary to reach our destination. Ain’t nobody got time for this kind of confusion.
Then again, if you’re feeling particularly spunky and adventurous, this could be Willy Wonka’s elevator to the sky for all we know. You might as well press a random button and see where you end up. But let’s be real for a sec, most perfectionistic people are not up for a spontaneous elevator adventure into the unknown.
I Have so Many Questions
First and foremost, how?! How does one physically eat a Kit Kat bar like this? Second of all, who?! Who is the monster that would do something so outrageous unless it was to intentionally torture their roommate? Like, okay dude, sorry I left my dirty dishes in the sink, but is this any way to enact revenge?
And lastly, why?! Life is hard enough as it is for us perfectionists and when we’re reaching for our favorite break-time snack, we just don’t want to have to see this kind of chocolate disaster! I don’t think it’s too much to ask to be spared such unnecessary torture. Who’s with me?
Is This Some Kind of a Code?
Let’s start with the very obvious fact that there are three sinks in this picture and not one… not two…not three… not even four, but FIVE paper towel dispensers. Ignoring for a moment the environmental disaster that this represents, could they not have at least installed the dispensers in a straight line and evenly spaced?!
It’s almost as if they just didn’t have a mirror so whoever installed this thought to add a few extra dispensers. The randomness of it all has to give any perfectionist chills up the spine. It’s like the visual equivalent of hearing nails screeching across a chalkboard. It’s just simply unbearable.
One of These is Not Like the Others
This would be a deal-breaker for me while searching for an apartment. This one HAD to be done on purpose. Was this some kind of interior design trend? Did the tiler run out of yellow tiles? What could justify installing a single red tile on a completely yellow floor? Was this done out of spite or is it some sick joke?
We have so many questions and so few answers. Even just looking at this photo makes me want to go buy a can of yellow paint and try to match that odd red tile to the rest of the yellow floor. Fortunately, it’s nothing a good bath mat won’t fix, though!
Just Like Putting Sugar in the Saltshaker…
This one may not be as obvious an OCD trigger as some of the other photos, it’s just a funny mistake, but for people that like to have their expectations met, this condiment dispenser can spell disaster. A total day ruiner. You might not be paying attention for one second and then BOOM! Meal ruined by relish.
I think whoever organized this mixed everything up on purpose to keep the customers on their toes… and maybe get a good laugh. Or risk getting mustard thrown at their face, which is probably the more likely scenario when you’ve ruined people’s lunches that they’ve been looking forward to all morning.
So Very Close
Nothing beats the calming, life-affirming feeling of a perfectly rounded even number. But what about the feeling of being a single cent away from pure bliss? It’s so close it almost amounts to torture. Seriously, what are the odds of this happening with an even gallon amount AND an even sale amount?
Like playing the slot machines in Vegas, hitting the even gallon mark is every OCD person’s secret goal in life. What would you have done in this situation? I’d have to try for one more cent just in case there’s any chance that I could win the gas station lottery with even gallon and even sale amounts. Oh, what a day that would be.
Beating Around the Bush
The rules of landscaping CLEARLY state that plants are to provide aesthetically pleasing places for people to look, walk around, and enjoy. Nowhere does it say anything about landscaping being the cause of eternal head-slamming and heartaches. Trust me, I read the rules! I’m a rule reader and a rule follower.
For the sake of all the perfectionists out there in the world, please someone plant one more bush on the right to make it even! Either that or the original poster needs to start looking for a new apartment. That bush on the right is so lonely just being a single, out-of-place shrub.
You Just Can’t Unsee It
Planners are Type A people’s guilty pleasure of choice. Imagine opening a brand new planner, crisp blank white pages just waiting to be filled with your color-coded notes, events, and to-do lists. You’ve got your colorful pens out, your washi tape is ready. Then….you see it. And you just can’t unsee it.
It’s so glaringly obvious once you see it. And to be honest, what group of people is more likely to spot this printing error than Planner People?? We were BORN to spot these tiny errors that everyone else overlooks. This for sure warrants a refund and replacement in my book.
This Is Why We Can’t Share
There’s one in every home: that one person that just doesn’t do things the right way. They’re a little messier. They don’t think about what might bother somebody else. They leave their clothes on the floor and they don’t close cabinet doors. Their actions don’t make much logical sense. Exhibit A:
And this, ladies and gentlemen, is why most Type A people have a hard time sharing their space and belongings with others. It’s just science. If anyone asks further questions, you can just show them this picture right here. It’s in the dictionary under “why perfectionists can’t share with others.”
Subtle, Yet Wrong
A true perfectionist has the eye to catch mistakes others may miss. That’s true in this case as one could be forgiven for accidentally missing the upside-down three on this track lineup. However, for those of us that can’t help but pick up on every. Single. Error. In. The. World. – This one is pretty obvious.
I wonder if the runner in lane three would get confused seeing it upside down. Or maybe to them, it would be a sign of good luck standing out a bit from the crowd. For the rest of us, this has the potential to bring out the hidden OCD tendencies in us.
#CityProblems
It just takes one person to set off a whole mess of parking lot misadventures. One person decides that they don’t want to circle the block to park in the correct direction, so they just decide to park at the wrong angle without any care as to how that may affect everyone else.
They need to go back to driving school. But regardless of their reasons for creating this parking disaster, now it’s the rest of us who have to suffer looking at all this unorganized chaos. If people can’t follow the simplest of directions by parking in between the painted on white lines, what is left for us?!
How to Spot a Non-Perfectionist
Here’s a clue: they’re usually going to do something that is not perfect and simply do not care or even take pride and joy in their mistake. This right here is an example of one such creature. Someone that, when presented with two checkboxes, decides to rebel against all expectations and circle her answer in response.
Jokes aside, we applaud the creativity in this proposal and love to see the joy on each of their faces as they celebrate their upcoming nuptials. We may, dare we say it, feel a little inspired to throw caution to the wind and take a risk like a mile-high proposal… or ignore checkbox instructions.
Not an Optical Illusion
Nope, what you’re seeing in this photo is not some trick of the light, it is a photo of a sidewalk that was built to not meet up with its other half. Why you may ask? We don’t know. All we know is woe to the casual walker who is not looking where they’re going and walk right off the end of the sidewalk.
I mean, it even looks as if construction on this sidewalk isn’t completed. There’s still hope for redemption, people! Maybe they can do a quick re-route to have this sidewalk make sense. But unless they’re hiring a team of perfectionists (or just contractors with common sense), hopes are not high for this to be corrected anytime soon.
This Boost of Confidence
This one is hilarious. You’re looking for a job and the company who’s hiring places their “wanted” ad right in front of… a trashcan. Best of luck to all the applicants who may have misread the sign and placed their resumes right into the bin, never to be seen again.
It’s intimidating to apply for a new job and this sign and placement probably isn’t helping with anyone’s interview jitters. Maybe they’re looking for people who aren’t so easily deterred by obstacles in their path. Persevere on, friends! Ignore the signs! Don’t let anyone make you feel like your resume belongs in the trash!
Someone Turned Off the Sun
Nowadays, solar power is becoming increasingly accessible and affordable as more and more people are making the switch to renewable sources of energy. There’s only one thing you need for your solar panels to work and harness energy from the sun…and that is the sun. Without the sun, you’ve just got metal panels in your yard.
I guess whoever installed these solar panels didn’t realize that they needed direct access to the sun to function? Seems like a pretty rookie mistake if you ask me. I hope whoever is trying to get electricity from this setup can make a couple of simple adjustments and move those panels into a sunnier location.
Standing Out from the Crowd
You know that old saying that older people normally tell younger kids about standing out from the crowd, not falling to peer pressure, being an individual, yadda yadda yadda. This, however, is NOT what we’re talking about here. There’s no other way to put this… this is just plain wrong. Period.
This is every OCD person’s worst nightmare. “It’s just a single blue sprinkle in a sea of red,” someone may point out unhelpfully, “what’s the big deal?” The BIG DEAL is that this blue sprinkle is going to haunt my perfectionist dreams until the end of time. Or until this blue sprinkle is forcibly removed and put back in its rightful container.
The Concrete Jungle
Who doesn’t love a good tree? Placing greenery within a city helps to bring calm, beauty, and joy into what could be a sterile concrete landscape. The greenery is great! But this is not some lovely park or even aesthetically pleasing sidewalk landscaping – this is just confusing and triggering to our OCD.
I get the idea behind planting as many trees as possible to create a sort of urban jungle, but honestly, I could do with one or two fewer trees here if it meant that those grates would be lined up and evenly spaced. There’s just no reason to overlap the grates! Even the birds don’t like it!
Mmm… Rainbow Onion Sprinkles
Nothing beats a good homemade meal or delicious dessert baked with love. A dash of this, a dollop of that… and what’s this? These my friend, are rainbow sprinkles. Or are they onion sprinkles? What exactly is going on here? The label reads “Rainbow Sprinkles” and yet the picture displayed on the bottle is of onions and peppers for a savory dish.
No doubt about it, these sprinkles would not be making it on our cake. They actually would probably go straight in the trash because our OCD couldn’t handle the incorrect label sitting there mocking us in our spice cabinet or pantry. Away with you, confusing sprinkles! And don’t come back!
Where Are We Going Here?
Okay, so it’s back to Willy Wonka’s mystery elevator ride, is it? Someone please please explain to me the thought process and logic behind labeling the numbers in this elevator. Where are floors one through five? Why is floor 6 all the way over to the left? Why is 28 between 6 and 7?
I don’t have answers for you, sadly, only more questions. Who decided this was a good idea? Can you imagine entering an elevator like this and spending at least five minutes trying to find your floor number? Or you could be like Eloise at the Plaza and just press all the buttons – you’ll probably arrive at your floor at the same time.
The Missing Piece
Oh, I know you like-minded perfectionists are going to hate this one. Hold on to your hats, people. There’s a perfectly painted straight line going along a brick-laid road or sidewalk. And then we notice just one brick missing. But it’s not missing altogether. Oh no, the correct brick is just a couple of inches away.
Nothing drives perfectionists crazy quite like seeing a problem that is so easily fixable, anyone could do it. Or so avoidable that it just seems ridiculous that the problem even exists. This almost looks like it was done on purpose. But what kind of person would do such a thing? Put the brick back where it belongs, people! That’s all we’re asking for.
Happy Turkey Day
Ah, Thanksgiving. In America, that means gathering around a big feast at the table with all the grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and siblings ready to fill their stomachs with turkey, famous savory side dishes, and of course, homemade pies. As everyone knows, the king of pies is of course the pumpkin pie.
The best part about the holiday is getting to keep leftovers for days or even weeks after the main event. But what if this pie catastrophe happens at your Thanksgiving meal? You’d be furious, let me tell you. This is the mark of some young, picky cousin who didn’t want any of the crust, just filling. Luckily, the crust is the best part.
Just put it back!
Just like with the photo of the sidewalk line above, this seems like a problem that is super easy to fix… and we’re scratching our heads over how it could have possibly happened in the first place. There are two hole covers – one unpainted and the other painted yellow so that it fits in with the big yellow square.
These are the kind of things that are hard to see in a photo because there’s just nothing we can do about it. We have to helplessly shake our heads and scream into the void about why these kinds of things have to happen. Why can’t the world just be orderly? Why?!
Extra Legroom
Anyone who’s ever spent any time on an airplane, especially with a budget airline, knows what hot commodity legroom is. We’ve all come to terms with the fact that while on the plane, you probably just won’t get any of that precious leg stretching space. But in the airport? Nah I’m going to need that legroom.
Maybe whoever designed this waiting area at the terminal just had an extra chair on hand so they thought, “why not?” But if you’re going to be sitting for several hours on a plane with very little legroom, why on earth would anyone choose to sit in this chair facing this blank wall? It just doesn’t compute.
Popsicle Fail
You know that feeling: it’s boiling outside and you suddenly get a strong craving for something icy cold and refreshing. What better way to meet that craving than a nice frozen popsicle? One problem though… you unwrap your icy treat to find the stick had re-frozen inside the popsicle.
Now, what you’ve got on your hands is what’s about to be a sticky, drippy mess. And any super perfectionist, the clean freak will tell you that this just will not work. Nobody wants melted popsicle syrup dripping down their arms in the middle of the day! Better to toss this one and go for ice cream.
Packaging Distress
Maybe we should create a new term for the kind of stress that OCD people feel when they see a package opened… how shall we say this delicately? Incorrectly. It’s just wrong. Do you know the feeling of satisfaction you get when something opens cleanly and evenly? Yeah, well this is the opposite.
I do think this should be a category of stress all its own. Because it’s so likely to happen especially when you live with a ~less than tidy~ roommate or spouse. You’re bound to come across some unfortunate packaging crisis like this. #Packagedistress – it’s a thing. We’re going to make it a thing.
Oh, the Irony
Now, whoever thought of packaging small items in an impossible-to-open plastic casing is probably not getting invited to too many parties these days. But wait! Humanity has invented a tool to help solve the problem of the impossible plastic packaging! And they’ve decided to package it in… the same plastic casing.
Oh, the irony is really real here. And it makes you wonder, did the product manufacturers not realize the irony in this choice of packaging? Are they having a good laugh now? I sure hope so because it’s kind of comically ridiculous, especially if nobody realized that they were being ironic.
This Is Why You Go for the Bigger Box
This picture is not only a little triggering to our OCD, it’s kind of depressing! Because what’s sadder than getting your delicious chocolate cake home only to realize that all the toppings have stuck themselves to the top of the box? We just have to shake our heads sadly and wonder why the bakers didn’t put this in a taller box.
It’s a problem of simple math – you put the cake inside a box that at least has enough room on top for all the beautiful whipped cream icing dollops to sit comfortably on the cake. And then you don’t shake the box. These two together will ensure a perfect cake delivery. Ask any careful perfectionist how it’s done.
The Most Beautiful Game
Soccer is a global sport that unifies players from around the world. From the most state-of-the-art stadiums to a dusty street pick-up game, soccer has made its way to every corner of the earth. We do know one group of people who will not be playing…at least not with this extremely annoying ball.
Yup, that’s right. It’s us. The slightly off-black pentagon that doesn’t quite fit in the outline of the pentagon is enough to drive us to kick this ball as far as we can into another galaxy where we’ll never have to see it again. It’s almost enough to make us quit the game altogether. Such a beautiful game deserves a much better ball!
Hot Sale
You know everyone loves a good bargain. I mean, I’m always on the lookout for these little red and yellow tags that point towards saving some moolah. HOWEVER. What in the ever-loving world is this?! One penny?! A single penny?! This has a marketing scam written all over it.
This is just a complete waste of the beautiful yellow and red tags that show us where the deals are! It’s a trap! If you ever see such a ridiculous deal in the grocery store, run! Run and go find a better deal somewhere else. Anywhere else will give you a better savings rate than a single penny! Sheesh. Can you tell I’m passionate about my sales?
“We Do Not Fit”
I think this moving company is going to have to change its name from “We Fit” to “We Most Certainly Did Not Fit” after this incident. And to be honest, this might not even be the truck driver’s fault. It looks as if the overpass was incorrectly measured and the marker was wayyyyy off.
This seems like one of those jobs where the job description should read: “required: someone with an eye for detail who can accurately measure an overpass.” As in, any perfectionist out there could take over this job and prevent this exact kind of disaster from ever happening in the first place.
Welcome to the Twilight Zone
Hello and welcome to our hotel. Your room, sir, is our best suite and it’s located right down the hall to your left… in another dimension. Best of luck finding it! But seriously, is this some kind of superstitious thing? I thought hotels normally excluded the number 13 for this reason, not 17.
A more likely theory as to why this happened than my Twilight Zone theory (though we’re not ruling it out amirite?) is that someone was installing the numbers who was not very detail-oriented. They took one look at the numbers on the wall and said “yup, that’ll do it” and walked away. Nothing triggers our OCD more than these kinds of careless mistakes.
The big man in a small world
What is it about old houses that always have some kind of quirk like this? Were people just shorter back in the day? Did they not shower? Because this just seems like such a basic design flaw that it’s almost laughable. Or the whole bathroom was designed and built by a Smurf.
It’s kind of par for the course when you’re staying in an old house or even buying an old house. All that character comes at the price of not being able to stand up in your shower. But for those of us who really can’t stand such dysfunctional quirks in our living spaces, a contractor will be called ASAP.
Pulling a Fast One on Us
A waste receptacle that separates plastic and aluminum recycling and even compost? Sign us up! Oh…wait. It’s just one single garbage can and you know where it’s all going to end up? The dump, that’s where. Because what on earth is the point of having the pedestrian separate out all their recycling and organic waste if it’s all just going in the same bin?
This photo is disturbing because it just doesn’t make sense. What is the point of color-coding the openings? But it’s also disheartening because we want these waste products to end up where they belong and where they say they’re going. *Sigh* this is where we’ll just have to step in as perfectionists to get the job done right.
I’m Gourd Out of My Mind Here
You look once and you see the giant box labeled “Watermelons.” You do a double-take and see not the juicy red and green fruits that you were expecting but a pile of orange pumpkins. Like most things that upset perfectionists, this may not bother the average shopper. But for us, this is indeed a big deal.
Because why. Was this just the only box on hand for all of these pumpkins? Could we not have made a little sign to cover the watermelon label? These are the questions that haunt me at 3 am when I wake up worried about the mislabeled pumpkins. At the very least, the box is getting reused and maybe that’ll help us sleep a little better at night.
I’d Like a Refund, Please
This photo makes us laugh more than it makes us angry because seriously, who can fault an adorable little puppy? The baby dog is going to chew! And honestly, I feel like whatever four-legged little creature did this has a good sense of humor and irony. “No chew deterrent”… sure.
It looks like this spray is meant to deter young dogs from chewing through everything in your house – furniture, shoes, laundry, you name it. This pup got up one morning and said to himself, “you can’t deter me!” and took matters into his paws. You just gotta laugh at the creativity here.
Watch Out for the…
This is maybe one of those “which came first, the chicken or the egg” situations. Did someone place this bench here and THEN install sprinklers in the ground right underneath the seat? Or were the sprinklers there first and then someone plopped a bench down on top? Either way, not great.
You know City Hall is probably getting some angry calls over this one. If I had to guess, someone put the bench down without checking first to see if there were any sprinklers within soaking range. Unfortunately for any unsuspecting person who happens to sit down here – they’re in for quite a surprise. Hence why you hire perfectionists to double-check things before installation. Yikes.
This Optical Illusion
If I could give one piece of advice on where NOT to put an optical illusion, it would be a staircase. The black and white pattern of the tiles in this photo makes it look like there’s an extra stair there when in fact, it’s just the landing. The black tiles are supposed to help people not fall down the stairs….
But what do ya know? This last black stripe on the staircase is probably responsible for quite a several people tripping their way up or down the steps, especially if they’re not paying attention. And let’s face it, who’s paying that close of attention while walking up and down the stairs? Oh, that’s right. We are.
Read the Fine Print
Ah, yes. The customizable pillow. I mean who doesn’t love a good customized pillow or blanket or any other household item for that matter? They make great gifts and decor pieces for any home. But this? This was made by someone who is decidedly NOT a perfectionist. Because we would never have missed that fine print that says “sample text.”
The real question now is how is this pillow allowed to remain on someone’s couch? I mean I guess if you’re not looking too closely, you wouldn’t notice the fancy script reads “sample text,” but let’s be real. No perfectionist or OCD person is not going to notice that.
This is Just Haunting
Advertising on the side of the bus is nothing new, but maybe when we’re using an actual human as an advertisement, we should be more careful about where we put the person’s face? I’m sure with the windows closed, this is a lovely advertisement that draws a lot of attention. But on a hot summer day on a city bus?
You can bet money those windows are moving sideways anytime the temperature outdoors is even slightly warm. Which then creates this uncomfortable image of driving around the city, creeping people out. If I were the woman in the advertisement, I wouldn’t know whether to laugh or cry and the image of my creepily distorted face running around the city.
Welcome, Trespassers
Security gates are usually used to keep people out and guard people and their belongings against robbers. This security gate, however, has a slightly more welcoming effect. Given the fact that each bar creates an ideal foot and handhold with which to climb right over the top of the gate, this gate is probably more of a fun obstacle course for a robber than a deterrent.
At least for us OCD types, the bars are nice and even and the lines are satisfying. Whoever installed this had an eye for symmetry and order… but maybe not so much common sense and safety. Ah well, they’ll likely figure it out pretty quickly after the first or second intrusion.
A Mug to Give Your Enemies
If you’re looking for a super cute gift to give to your worst enemy this holiday, then look no further than this adorable mug that will poke your eyes out! It looks innocent, sure, but it’s a weapon in disguise. Your enemy will never even see it coming…literally!
All jokes aside, this mug looks like it was made by a kid who probably had no idea that they were creating something so dangerous as a mug that can stab a person in the eyes. So we have to let this one slide, even as our control freak selves want to shout “BE CAREFUL!”
The Waterslide of Doom
Fancy and funky bathrooms are all the rage these days. But maybe we have gone just a wee step too far with this one. The sink and built-in toilet combo may look pretty sweet, but that little sloe from the sink into the edgeless toilet bowl is just asking for someone to lose a toothbrush…or worse.
I mean, what happens next time you take off your wedding ring to wash your hands or something and your precious band decides to take a ride on the waterslide of doom right into the waiting toilet bowl? Perfectionists worldwide are wondering, “why can’t we just stick to what works?” No need to push the envelope this far, people.
A Medieval Dentist’s Office
Back in medieval times, castles were built with tiny slivers of windows that people could use to shoot arrows out of, but none could make it through the tiny cut in the wall. This looks a lot like those medieval castles… except we’re living in the 21st century and have no need to shoot arrows out of our windows.
Someone must have loved the window designs of the dark ages (literally…so dark) or just not cared that this tiny sliver of a window created the most asymmetrical and disturbing interruption in the wall. And all for what? A tiny beam of light that can’t even enter the room because of the single-blind? I guess we’re going back to the dark ages.
There’s No Good Explanation
Handrails are made to be helpful while walking downstairs. Pillars are made to hold up the roof. These things are not meant to collide with each other. I mean, I’m no architect or building contractor, but even I can tell that this was a mistake. What good is a handrail if it disappears into a big white column all of a sudden?
If it hasn’t already become abundantly clear, perfectionists like things to be…well, perfect. Or at the very least, not imperfect. This structural mistake is jarring in how obvious it is and how much it just does not make any sense whatsoever. Imagine trying to explain this to your boss.
Made ya Book
I can’t tell what exactly is to blame for this unsettling image. Is it that the backpack is too big for the locker? Or that locker is absurdly small and can’t seem to do its one job by storing the student’s books. It is a pain to have to pack and unpack a backpack every single morning and afternoon… but maybe this isn’t quite the design flaw it appears to be at first glance.
One thing’s for sure, this student has a LOT of books. But the locker does look like it has shelves made for this very purpose. So maybe if the student would take the books OUT of their backpack and onto the shelves, all would be right in the world? For this perfectionistic student’s sake, we can only hope so.
I’ll Take One of Each
Control freaks the world over obviously enjoy things in order. Things that are labeled correctly and lined up neatly. But above all, we like things that just make sense. And this, ladies and gentlemen, simply does not make sense. This photo shows a display of individual fruits packaged ONE per plastic container.
Sooooo what do you do if you want, say, five of these fruits? Do you fill up your cart with individually packaged fruits? Do you carry home an armload of plastic boxes each with one fruit inside? This just doesn’t make sense and everyone knows it. It takes up way too much room in the grocery cart AND it’s just so much unnecessary plastic. Ugh.
Intuitive Design
There’s a whole growing field of software and computer designers whose sole job is to make sure that our technology is intuitive and easier to use. This amigo is not hitting that mark. For one, if you want to make the sound on your computer louder, which button do you press?
Both buttons feature the same number of soundbars, just turned opposite each other. I have to believe that this was not an intentional design element, but rather some kind of manufacturing mistake. Computers these days are so crucial for working and studying, buttons like these just drive people crazy. You don’t even need to be a perfectionist to be bothered by this one.
This runaway concrete pourer
At first glance, this photo looks as if the concrete for the sidewalk was poured by a six-year-old distracted by a butterfly. Nothing is influencing this ~creative~ pathway – it just as easily could have been a neat and orderly straight line. But no, that would have been too simple. It simply would have made too much sense.
Ah well, you at least could enjoy the scenery a bit as you amble down the sidewalk from right to left and back again. Ooo, look at that nice parking lot! What about that awesome telephone pole? Maybe you could make the most of it by making a game out of it, or using it as a walking meditation. People do that, right?
A Missed Opportunity
What graphic designer could have possibly missed the opportunity to capitalize on this creative lettering option? Just put the dumbbell in place of the “I”! It would make so much sense! This, on the other hand, is very confusing. People are bound to read this as “F-Itness”, or “Fiitness” or just scratch their heads dumbfounded.
But what’s more confusing is that this logo had to go through multiple stages of approval. So not only did the graphic designer miss this opportunity but so did the owners of the gym AND whoever painted this on the wall. All I know is that if even one of those people had a good eye for detail, this probably wouldn’t have ended up on the wall.
No, Just No
You’re driving down the road, radio on, thinking about the meaning of life, looking for a sign from the universe that you’re on the right track and you look up and see this. No. Just no. Could this be the sign you’ve been waiting for? Probably not. But it’s hard to tell exactly what this sign IS telling us.
No, don’t drive this way? No, don’t turn? Just no? Okay then. We’ll take it as a sign that whatever you were thinking about, the universe just says no. It’s hard for us to control freaks to let go and listen to a randomly placed and ambiguous sign like this one… but it does say pretty clearly: No.
