He could have waited until the next earthquake and told one of the guys to knock over a couple of my piles of papers. Then he could then explain that I had to get it at least to a reasonable level of safety . But he never figured that out, and I didn't tell him until after he left. Some people keep their desk neat because that's what feels good to them. I find that neatness is not a priority compared to a number of other things, such as answering the phone when a guy needs help, or volunteering advice when a customer has a problem.
Some people find it easy to keep a neat desk because they throw out things that make it look messy.
I just don't operate that way. One time I was working on a Saturday after being at National just a few months. My desk was already stack up pretty high. Another guy was at his desk, which had just a few dozen things on it. He was picking them up, one by one, studying them, and then throwing most of them in the wastebasket.