The line comes from Jordan Peterson, the Canadian psychologist whose lectures and 2018 book 12 Rules for Life made tidy your room a shorthand for taking responsibility for your own life. Clips of him repeating the advice circulated widely on YouTube before jumping to TikTok and meme pages, where the stern delivery made it perfect for comedy. Editors now pair it with messy rooms, cluttered desks and chaotic gameplay, and its staying power comes from that mix of genuine self-help fame and instantly recognisable dad-energy scolding.