Lagom: The Swedish Art of Living a Balanced, Happy Life
- Downloads：2294
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-10-16 05:50:28
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Niki Brantmark
- ISBN：0008260109
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
- Download
Summary
Uncover the secrets of the Swedish philosophy of life called Lagom – meaning ‘just enough’。 At its core is the idea that we can strike a healthy balance with the world around us without having to make extreme changes， and without denying ourselves anything。
This delightful book， written by Niki Brantmark， founder and curator of the award winning interior design blog， My Scandinavian Home， gives a taste of the philosophy behind Lagom and shows how to include some of the principles into our daily lives。 Inspirational and fun ideas to help you achieve balance， well being and a more sustainable existence。
The book is divided into three sections。 Introducing Lagom to your personal life includes ideas for decluttering your home， conscious buying and embracing ‘slow design’。 At work take time to balance your day with a proper lunchbreak and a gadget free Sabbath， while outdoor staycations in remote settings can offer relaxation you never knew possible！
Lagom at home and with our families explains the art of simple pleasures – bring a dish entertaining at home， of shared craft activities with our children and less stressed homework time！ And finally there’s Lagom in the wider world and the principles of living sustainably – as IKEA have pledged in their Live Lagom campaign -make some small changes like using LED lightbulbs， taking shorter showers and upcycling and you are living a Lagom life，
a rewarding but responsible life; not denying yourself or sacrificing what you love， while not taking from the planet more than you need。 It’s just the right amount！
Reviews
Luz
，
Small handheld book but pretty thick， almost like a pocket dictionary！ I really love this book， it’s a great book with little tips on how to improve your life。 It’s not written page to page but it mostly pictorial and has small sentences/ paragraphs on some pages。 It’s not going to tell you directly the secret to a happy life but tips that may help。 I found them very help and even soothing to read this book。 Many people do not like this format mentioned above， but I think it’s very helpful for p Small handheld book but pretty thick， almost like a pocket dictionary！ I really love this book， it’s a great book with little tips on how to improve your life。 It’s not written page to page but it mostly pictorial and has small sentences/ paragraphs on some pages。 It’s not going to tell you directly the secret to a happy life but tips that may help。 I found them very help and even soothing to read this book。 Many people do not like this format mentioned above， but I think it’s very helpful for people who feel they’re life will benefit from being more simplified。 Overall I learned we have a lot to learn from the Swedes！ 。。。more
Lisa
，
I can't really blame this book for being what it is - random， shallow observations that you've probably heard many， many times before。 There's nothing wrong with that！ And it's a cute little book with pretty pictures， which is certainly why I picked it up at the library。 I found very little that was uniquely Swedish。 And there are things like "The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step" being attributed as a "Swedish proverb，" which I wouldn't be surprised if the concept exists in I can't really blame this book for being what it is - random， shallow observations that you've probably heard many， many times before。 There's nothing wrong with that！ And it's a cute little book with pretty pictures， which is certainly why I picked it up at the library。 I found very little that was uniquely Swedish。 And there are things like "The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step" being attributed as a "Swedish proverb，" which I wouldn't be surprised if the concept exists in many cultures， but isn't it from Lao Tzu？ Oh well。 。。。more
El
，
A solid read though perhaps not quite as intriguing as one night have hoped for。 Nikki takes us on s journey of conscious choices we can make to live life just a little bit happier and at ease in the world that stands in contrast to a 21st century， Western capitalist consumer。
Madame Histoire
，
This is a little bit in the vein of "The Little Book of Hygge: The Danish Way to Live Well" that I read a couple years ago。 There is this trend to adopt a more Nordic lifestyle （along with their home decor） to be happier。 And not seeing the setbacks （aka the long dark cold winters） of life with an all doom and gloom mentality。Lagom is about "just right amount" and this is basically about a minimalist more meaningful lifestyle， closer to nature and the community。 It has a broad range of advices， This is a little bit in the vein of "The Little Book of Hygge: The Danish Way to Live Well" that I read a couple years ago。 There is this trend to adopt a more Nordic lifestyle （along with their home decor） to be happier。 And not seeing the setbacks （aka the long dark cold winters） of life with an all doom and gloom mentality。Lagom is about "just right amount" and this is basically about a minimalist more meaningful lifestyle， closer to nature and the community。 It has a broad range of advices， from health to children education， lesser （or better） consumerism to home care advice。 Most of them being things I agree with。I did like the perspective of a British author comparing the Swedish culture of her husband （and current residing place） to her own。Easy to read， the author also tries to be entertaining and funny with some jokes and puns which can be quite cheesy though。 Nothing groundbreaking but overall enjoyed and recommended。 。。。more
Dana
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 I enjoyed the first section （lagom in your personal life） but the other sections were a bit boring to me。
Jessie
，
The layout of the book is a visual masterpiece。
Erica Eggleton
，
It is a relaxing quick read。 Did not learn too much though。
Liz VanDerwerken
，
2。5 stars I liked some of the ideas in this book but didn’t find it particularly groundbreaking。 My favorite sections were related to the outdoors and specific Swedish traditions; I loved learning some Swedish words like “mångata” （“the glimmering， roselike reflection the moon creates on water”） and “kvällspromenad” （“evening walk”）， among others。
Jessica Pattenaude
，
Nothing new that the book of hygge or any other book of cozy living doesn’t address。 Flipped through various chapters but not compelled to finish the book in its entirety。
Joyce Job
，
I think it was after watching the movie 'The Pursuit of Happyness' during my college days that I started thinking about the idea of 'creating or pursuing happiness。' Until then， I always thought about happiness as something that 'naturally happened to us' or something that we had to 'patiently wait for。'As a child， I must have taken happiness for granted。 I must have been happy and sad in those days， but I didn't care about either。 I was okay with both; I didn't pay much attention to them。 Not s I think it was after watching the movie 'The Pursuit of Happyness' during my college days that I started thinking about the idea of 'creating or pursuing happiness。' Until then， I always thought about happiness as something that 'naturally happened to us' or something that we had to 'patiently wait for。'As a child， I must have taken happiness for granted。 I must have been happy and sad in those days， but I didn't care about either。 I was okay with both; I didn't pay much attention to them。 Not sure if it was the side-effects of being a teenager or becoming more aware of myself and the world， as I grew up I found myself always wanting to be happy and trying hard not to be sad/angry/lonely/frustrated etc。 Bad move， of course， as they portray in the animation movie 'Inside out。' 'Joy' is just one of the elements of the character Riley's wide array of emotions。 Our happiness or well-being isn't just about 'joy;' it can be tinged with other emotions also， even including sadness。Not many of us， sadly， grows out of these cliched approaches to life。 It was a revelation for me when one day my sister scolded me by saying: "You want to be happy。 But you do nothing for it。" Would you disagree with me if I say， we can make conscious efforts every day to be happy - not by pretending to be happy， but by consciously doing the things we love and being around people whom we love and value（and vice-versa）？Reading self-help books and books like 'Lagom' is my way of learning habits and values that could possibly make me and the people in my life more happy and content。 Also if you are someone who checks the Happiness Index reports or lists regularly（like me :D）， then you might know already that Sweden is one of the top ten happiest countries in the world。 And my country， India， ranks in position 139 out of the total 149 in the year 2021。 So， clearly， there are a lot of things my country and I can learn from their approach。 Lagom， pronounced 'lah-gom' （'la' like 'far'， 'gom' like 'from'）， is an overarching concept that is heavily ingrained in the Swedish psyche。 Often loosely translated as 'everything in moderation' or 'not too much and not too little'， lagom is about finding a balance that works for you。 There are a lot of ideas and habits in this book which if implemented can improve the state of affairs in my country and my life。 I wish my country would learn， change， and improve in areas like gender equality; inclusivity especially to the LGBTQ community; work-life balance; eco-friendly & sustainable lifestyles; mental health; moderation/minimalism etc。 I was happy to read that these qualities are already a part of the Swedish value system and daily habits。There are some areas， like celebrating Christmas or Easter the Swedish way or making Swedish sweets etc that may not be applicable to all the people in the world。 Nonetheless， it's a very simple， quick and enjoyable read for everyone， especially for people who tend to gravitate towards minimalism or simple & moderate lifestyles。 。。。more
Brigitte Valentine
，
Very basic advice。 I was looking to learn more about the daily life of Swedish culture， but the advice in this book is so basic that it can be transposed into any western culture。 Some recipes & nice photography make it an enjoyable quick read， just， not one which will transform you。
Marie
，
Intricate explanations of living life with a minimalistic approach in all areas。
Edwin Setiadi
，
How to live like the SwedesSometimes， we can just tell how advanced a society is just by looking from their philosophy。 And the clearer the philosophy is， the easier it is for the people to live it。 This is what Lagom is for Sweden。Lagom is a Swedish philosophy of moderation - not too much， not too little， just right - where it is embodied in pretty much every aspect of their lives。 And Niki Brantmark has done an excellent work to fully describe it。 The book itself is a reflection of Lagom， wher How to live like the SwedesSometimes， we can just tell how advanced a society is just by looking from their philosophy。 And the clearer the philosophy is， the easier it is for the people to live it。 This is what Lagom is for Sweden。Lagom is a Swedish philosophy of moderation - not too much， not too little， just right - where it is embodied in pretty much every aspect of their lives。 And Niki Brantmark has done an excellent work to fully describe it。 The book itself is a reflection of Lagom， where the contents are not too little， not too much， just right， and they are broken down into many little stand out headings， which makes it easier to read and comprehend。 And while Lagom is the traditional philosophy for Sweden， we， the rest of the world， can too live with the minimalist and no-nonsense approach like the Swedes。 This is why this book is very important and valuable。The book covers everything imaginable about the Swedish culture。 Things like minimalist interior design， on healing stress with nature， on the importance of sleep and pre-bed time rituals， cold shower， sauna， physical happiness， working environment and culture in Sweden， work-life balance， the clothes that we wear， and reasons to wake up early （Sweden is a nation of early risers）。It is also about developing a friendship with a Swede， being punctual， Swedish desserts and coffee， weddings （including preparations and the charming wedding games）， parenting， how they educate their children， even how to battle climate change， reduce waste， and save the world’s resources by recycling everything from garbage to buy secondhand， from riding a bike to carpooling， and so much more。I especially like their Lagom ideas on what we eat， which is in contrast with the current all-or-nothing diet fads。 Yes the Swedes keep a balanced diet， they also try to stay healthy， but they still eat their cinnamon bun alongside their salad。 You know， not too much， not too little。 They also not restricting children from eating sweets， but of course only in moderation （and only on Saturdays）。 And if you want to have equality between men and women， then provide the same facilities， support， and even equal maternity leave so that dads can share the parenting duties 50-50， while treating newborn babies equally from day 1 regardless of the gender。 This is why Sweden is one of the most progressive countries in the world。Moreover， it feels like living life with Lagom can put off so much pressure from us。 Kids only learn things when they’re ready， there's no need to keep up with the latest trends if it's not convenient， and by all means work hard but when the clock strikes at 5 PM， go home and relax。 It’s also about sharing the burden: A house party is a collective thing， where guests bring their own things， they each takes turn for the music and the entertainment。 Even in a sleepover guests bring their own linen so it eases the burden on the host。Therefore， by implementing Lagom we can be kinder and gentler to ourselves and our surroundings。 And a society filled with Lagom is also a society that care about our well being and happiness， like a warm and caring grandmother looking out for the whole family。 No wonder that Sweden is among the happiest nations on earth。 。。。more
Elena
，
AudiobookОчаквах нещо съвсем друго。
Jordyn Reads
，
I'm so lucky to have had this little gem of a book serendipitously find me while I was staying at a rented summer home with an extensive library。 There are a few critiques that say this book can be a bit patronizing， I don't feel that way at all。 The author understands that not every single person will be able to implement or agree with all the helpful tidbits as she writes this in her conclusion and all along the way。 She says she herself is a Brit living in Sweden and there are some things she I'm so lucky to have had this little gem of a book serendipitously find me while I was staying at a rented summer home with an extensive library。 There are a few critiques that say this book can be a bit patronizing， I don't feel that way at all。 The author understands that not every single person will be able to implement or agree with all the helpful tidbits as she writes this in her conclusion and all along the way。 She says she herself is a Brit living in Sweden and there are some things she just can't adjust to but she takes what works for her within this philosophy of Lagom。 This book doesn't focus just on Lagom definitively but tells you how this concept can apply to all facets of our lives from our clothes to our traditions to our work culture to our electricity bills。 I love its small， helpful tidbits and good reminders of things I'm sure we've heard before but maybe could use just that extra nudge in the right direction。 Overall， I found this book to be lovely and helpful。 The format makes it a perfect book to skim through for ideas， and makes a great coffee table book。 。。。more
Ineta （Knygų Lentyna）
，
O vat būna tokių knygų， kurias pamatai – ir tiesiog nori jų。 Taip buvo su šia – „Lagom“ knyga。Pirmiausia， kai ją gavau， nusišypsojau dėl jos mažo formato。 Perkant，per nuotrauką atrodė didesnė， bet pasakysiu jums paslaptį – mažos knygutės kompaktiškai telpa visur！Antra staigmena buvo neišpasakyto grožio nuotraukos viduje。 Patikėkit fotografės žodžiu – nuostabios nuotraukos。 Į jas žiūrint apima jausmas， lyg atostogautum， matytum pačius gražiausius vaizdus aplink ir ne su bet kuo – o su knyga <3Nor O vat būna tokių knygų， kurias pamatai – ir tiesiog nori jų。 Taip buvo su šia – „Lagom“ knyga。Pirmiausia， kai ją gavau， nusišypsojau dėl jos mažo formato。 Perkant，per nuotrauką atrodė didesnė， bet pasakysiu jums paslaptį – mažos knygutės kompaktiškai telpa visur！Antra staigmena buvo neišpasakyto grožio nuotraukos viduje。 Patikėkit fotografės žodžiu – nuostabios nuotraukos。 Į jas žiūrint apima jausmas， lyg atostogautum， matytum pačius gražiausius vaizdus aplink ir ne su bet kuo – o su knyga <3Nors tikėjausi šiek tiek kitokio turinio， tačiau nenusivyliau: autorė apima visas aktualiausias vidinės （ir ne tik） harmonijos temas: aplinkosauga， namų jaukumas， maisto nešvaistymas į kairę ir į dešinę， švedų švenčių tradicijas， judėjimą， taupumą。。。Nesitikėjau knygoje rasti ir labai įdomių faktų， kurie man tikrai aktualūs， aplinkosaugos tema。 Pav。: „。。。。jeigu visuose Britanijos namuose， prieš einant miegoti （šiame fakte Britanijos inf。） žmonės ne tik išjungtų， bet ir ištrauktų įrenginius iš rozečių， sutaupytos energijos kiekis prilygtų metinei vienos jėgainės pagaminamai energijai ir jos užtektų 80 milijardų arbatos puodelių išvirti。“ Neįtikėtinai įdomu， tiesa？Rekomenduočiau knygą visiems， kurie norėtų lengvo turinio knygos， kuri pralinksmintų， sušildytų ir įkvėptų lengviems pokyčiams， harmoningumo link。Taip pat knyga nepaprastai iš arti supažindina su Švedų gyvenimo kultūra， papročiais， įpročiais ir vertybėmis。 Tikrai daug ir kokybiškų patarimų tiems， kurie galbūt ateityje svečiuosis šioje šalyje， ar tiems， kurie ten esate neilgai ir dar nespėjote adaptuotis svetimoje šalyje， tad pravartu paskaityti šią knygą， kad netektų apsijuokti kitų akyse， o ir adaptacija taptų lengvesnė。 。。。more
Ái Quỳnh
，
Một cuốn sách nhẹ nhàng và tuỳ vào thói quen sinh hoạt lẫn quan điểm sống cá nhân mà bạn thấy cuốn sách này đúng đến đâu để áp dụng。 Tuy nhiên một số cách thức trong cuốn sách này chỉ đang phù hợp với một nơi hiện đại và phát triển như Thuỵ Điển。Sách trình bày ngắn gọn về vấn đề “vừa đủ” ở rất nhiều khía cạnh của cuộc sống， có tranh màu nên mình đánh giá khá cao。“Suy cho cùng Lagom không phải là khước từ những thú vui trong cuộc sống。 Lagom là khi chúng ta tận hưởng mọi thứ - vừa đủ， lành mạnh v Một cuốn sách nhẹ nhàng và tuỳ vào thói quen sinh hoạt lẫn quan điểm sống cá nhân mà bạn thấy cuốn sách này đúng đến đâu để áp dụng。 Tuy nhiên một số cách thức trong cuốn sách này chỉ đang phù hợp với một nơi hiện đại và phát triển như Thuỵ Điển。Sách trình bày ngắn gọn về vấn đề “vừa đủ” ở rất nhiều khía cạnh của cuộc sống， có tranh màu nên mình đánh giá khá cao。“Suy cho cùng Lagom không phải là khước từ những thú vui trong cuộc sống。 Lagom là khi chúng ta tận hưởng mọi thứ - vừa đủ， lành mạnh và cân bằng。” 。。。more
Mante Dambauskaite
，
Tikėjausi ne tokios paviršutiniškos knygos。 Viskas girdėta， aptariama prabėgom per daug nesigilinant。 Tačiau akį labai džiugino knygos išvaizda， kuri yra labai estetiška， viršelis， šriftas， išdėstymas neapkrautas， pilna gražių fotografijų， iliustracijų， spalviškai tikras Lagom。 Knyga labiau skirta žmonėms， kurie nėra susidūrę su skandinaviška kultūra ir norėtų su ja susipažinti。
Marie Osuna
，
I picked up this book because I thought it was cute。 It does have some adorable pictures/graphics but I didn’t get a lot out of reading it。 Overall， it felt like the author was tackling a lot of things at once and I didn’t feel I learned anything new。
Chris
，
This is a book for upper middle class。
Maya Silva
，
An interesting read， a book to keep on the shelf and look at whenever one needs to regain balance in life。 Although some of the lessons/tips/suggestions may seem self-explanatory， we often need to be reminded of what we already know， and there were actually a lot of things that I did not know prior to reading。 Non-fiction books can be boring at times when， due to a lack of story-line， they have no rhythm or movement to them， but this book was very interesting and easy to finish。 Read it in three An interesting read， a book to keep on the shelf and look at whenever one needs to regain balance in life。 Although some of the lessons/tips/suggestions may seem self-explanatory， we often need to be reminded of what we already know， and there were actually a lot of things that I did not know prior to reading。 Non-fiction books can be boring at times when， due to a lack of story-line， they have no rhythm or movement to them， but this book was very interesting and easy to finish。 Read it in three days and will definitely read it again。 。。。more
Mary
，
This was fine！ A quick read on vacation。
Katie Stevens
，
Loved！ So simple and cute and some good advice on here as well。
Anna
，
Now， I know this book doesn’t exactly impart upon its reader any life-changing truth， or guru wisdom （granted nor does it intend to）。 In all honesty， it reads most like a collection of posts from someone’s blog （interspersed with some infomercial-esque author reactions to what they themselves just said）， but going into it with the expectation that I’d only get a few ideas and cute anecdotes， I can’t say I minded too much this time around。Back in， I want to say… 2017， there was a moment for these Now， I know this book doesn’t exactly impart upon its reader any life-changing truth， or guru wisdom （granted nor does it intend to）。 In all honesty， it reads most like a collection of posts from someone’s blog （interspersed with some infomercial-esque author reactions to what they themselves just said）， but going into it with the expectation that I’d only get a few ideas and cute anecdotes， I can’t say I minded too much this time around。Back in， I want to say… 2017， there was a moment for these Scandinavian-inspired lifestyle-books being published， one after the other， with very similar contents and design。 I worked at a bookstore at the time， and there were at least two whole shelves full of these things: Hygge， lagom， sisu， lykke， even fika （which， btw， in my native language means “boogers” which is all kinds of funny to me） is tangentially related- there was at least one， but sometimes up to four or more distinct publications on all of these subjects。 This trend was later followed by others in a similar vein- ikigai， shinrin-yoku， and probably more that I honestly don’t recall。 I guess it’s fair to say that people seemed to look in every direction but their own culture’s for clarity and wellness。Now， I don’t want to go into the social implications of this， because wow does it have the potential to be depressing （it really speaks volumes that we， as a whole， in Western and westernized societies are so unhappy that any culture， any concept， that offers something even just marginally different -even if all it is is “maybe chill tf out sometimes”- is met with faddish enthusiasm）。 I’ll just say that it was all very sensationalistic （and just a touch culturally insensitive in my opinion）， but at the time， you couldn’t turn on your heels without seeing at least one of these really cute， richly illustrated books cloaked in calming pastels and dotted with modern， stylized， flat color illustrations of flowers， pine trees， log cabins and Dalahästen， which is an aesthetic and a half。 They were quite an obvious cash-grab bandwagon （if one is inclined to be a little cynical about it）， but they were harmless， pretty， and sold pretty well while the fad lasted。I picked up this particular “Lagom” （one of -I think- four or five I had available） on a whim， as I have recently started learning Swedish， and wanted to learn a touch more about the general vibe and culture of the country- and while it’s no great work of literature， or a sociological study brimming with facts and figures， it was… to go with the obvious， just enough。 Broad strokes， bloggish tips and personal remarks， like talking to a friend who is a hopeful blogger and recently moved to a different country。While simple and kind of generalized， this book was… sweet， and kind in its way- very much what I call a “palate cleanser” book。 The illustrations were in a minimalistic design I like， the language used is slow， and simple- I felt relaxed reading it， and found myself stopping every once in a while just to look at a photo， which isn’t common for me。 Granted， it had some of the same issues as the book I read on hygge back in the day （not much info， lots of fluff）， but as a foreigner uninformed about but interested in Swedish culture， I think I got more out of it than I had initially expected。 （Partially that some of the things I， as an European， take for granted -like having had salt dough to play with as a kid， or being taught woodworking and minor sewing at school- might be astounding to people from just a few countries over。）If you’re better informed already， you won’t get much， but if you’ve no more than about a week of Duolingo lessons under your belt and a soft spot for Scandinavian-inspired design， it might be a fun coffee table book to have。（Though， very minor thing: I don’t really understand the choice to have illustrations in place of photographs when talking about foraging for wild mushrooms and the different species。 I mean… of course I’m not going to go out into the forest and schnarf up any foliage I see， of course I’m gonna get a guidebook first if a forest-grown wild lunch is my goal， but still。 Strange decision to stylize mushrooms you’re encouraged to forage for。） 。。。more
Lolita Mazon
，
Nors dažniausiai į tokio tipo knygas žiūriu su kreiva šypsena， ši netikėtai labai patiko！ Galbūt kad pasakojami dalykai labai artimi，tik kiek primiršti。
Rachel ✨
，
1。5
Mark Nenadov
，
Overall it is a pretty forgettable self help book。 This is written by a British woman who lived in Sweden and has a Swedish husband。 It speaks about and attempts to apply to life the concept of “lagom”。
Justice
，
This was nice to read。 As a minimalist for 15 years， it is interesting how my practices go a lot in line with Lagom。 This is a good reminder and I enjoyed learning about the methods of some of the Swede way of life。
Phanh Bu
，
It’s not as good as I expected。
Tan
，