Lagom ar bast
With all the fuss about hygge and other kinds of Scandinavian coziness, I decided it was time to take a look at Live Lagom (subtitle Balanced Living the Swedish Way) — and reading it while on a Northwoods retreat with a bunch of wonderful ladies seemed like perfect timing. That said, keep in mind that 1) I'm Norwegian, not Swedish, and 2) if you think about it, there's nothing in "moderation" about this weekend, including the amount of snacks, drinks, and hilarity going on (it IS pretty cozy, though, perhaps I should have stuck with hygge.)
All that said, I liked the book more than I thought I would. It clearly defined the idea of "lagom," which is basically the idea of balance or "just enough." It then looks at:
- Lagom at work, which seems hard unless everyone is doing it; did you know the average number of work hours a year for a Swede is 1,600 hours? (in the US, FT work is defined as 2,080 hours, though to be fair that includes vacation time and I assume the 1,600 does not).
- Lagom at home, including decor (not quite my scene) and food (yum!).
- Lagom for health, which seems like something I could focus on.
- Lagom for the environment, which seems of importance to everyone.
Some of the elements of sparseness and minimalism just are not for me (and I rail against anything that cautions me against multi-tasking.) But several of the other items, such as a daily fika break, spending more time focusing on your needs and larger desires, and building a culture of collaborative community, seem especially appropriate right now.
(Book proved by Blogging for Books in exchange for my opinion, but all thoughts my own).
All that said, I liked the book more than I thought I would. It clearly defined the idea of "lagom," which is basically the idea of balance or "just enough." It then looks at:
- Lagom at work, which seems hard unless everyone is doing it; did you know the average number of work hours a year for a Swede is 1,600 hours? (in the US, FT work is defined as 2,080 hours, though to be fair that includes vacation time and I assume the 1,600 does not).
- Lagom at home, including decor (not quite my scene) and food (yum!).
- Lagom for health, which seems like something I could focus on.
- Lagom for the environment, which seems of importance to everyone.
Some of the elements of sparseness and minimalism just are not for me (and I rail against anything that cautions me against multi-tasking.) But several of the other items, such as a daily fika break, spending more time focusing on your needs and larger desires, and building a culture of collaborative community, seem especially appropriate right now.
(Book proved by Blogging for Books in exchange for my opinion, but all thoughts my own).
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