Lagom - phong cách cân bằng cuộc sống của Thụy Điển

by Jonny Jackson, Huy Minh (Translator)

Hygge là từ thời thượng xuất hiện năm 2016, còn lagom là một khái niệm khác của vùng Scandinavia xâm nhập vào vốn từ vựng thế giới chắc chắn khiến bạn tự hỏi liệu hai thuật ngữ này có giống nhau không, hay thậm chí là cùng một ý. Nghệ thuật hygge của Đan Mạch là về việc tận hưởng những thú vui đơn giản hằng ngày và tận hưởng những giây phút tĩnh lặng, trong khi lagom của Thụy Điển là lựa chọn lối sống cân bằng, khiêm tốn, không cầu kỳ và mãn nguyện. Lagom là một từ tiếng Thụy Điển có nghĩa ‘lượng vừa đủ’ và xuất phát từ câu tục ngữ của người Thụy Điển “Lagom är bäst”: “vừa phải là tốt nhất.” Lagom có thể ảnh hưởng đến mọi khía cạnh cuộc sống của bạn, chẳng hạn lưu tâm hơn đến lượng tài nguyên không bền vững mà bạn sử dụng; quản lý chế độ ăn uống lành mạnh và cân nhắc lượng khí thải carbon của các sản phẩm trong nhà bạn; tạo cân bằng công việc-cuộc sống phù hợp với bạn; tiết kiệm thay vì chi tiêu và nghĩ đến thế giới rộng lớn hơn và tác động của bạn trong thế giới đó.
Lagom nghe có vẻ giống như thực hành tiết kiệm nhưng về bản chất, đó là sống và tận hưởng một cuộc sống đơn giản hơn để bạn tập trung vào những gì quan trọng. Đó là việc điều chỉnh cho phù hợp với nhu cầu cá nhân của bạn thông qua nhiều biến đổi nhỏ trong mọi khía cạnh lối sống của bạn để mang lại sự cân bằng. Trên hết, bạn có thể ‘lagom’ như bạn muốn chứ không bắt buộc mọi thứ phải đều hoàn hảo; mà là “vừa hợp” với bạn.

Genres: Nonfiction, Self Help, Personal Development, Philosophy, Sweden, Scandinavian Literature

140 pages, Paperback

Published March 3, 2023

Reviews

[Manny · Rating 2 out of 5]

Lagom, as any Swedish fule kno, is a useful word meaning "neither too much nor too little, but just right". The story of Goldilocks can be read as a search for this elusive ideal. Or to take another example, consider this book. A person who has actually lived in Sweden and notices it at Waterstones might, at one extreme, read it from cover to cover and gush about it to all their friends; or, at the opposite end of the spectrum, they might burn Waterstones to the ground, killing a dozen people and causing fifty million pounds worth of property damage, and spend the rest of their life in jail. A lagom response, in contrast, would be to flip through it for a couple of minutes and then post a mildly sarcastic review on Goodreads which [continued for another 143 boring pages]

[Jennifer ~ TarHeelReader · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Little Book of Lagom caught my eye, just as last year, The Little Book of Hygge did. While Hygge is all about comfort, Lagom is all about balance, or just the right amount. This is definitely something I could benefit from because I tend to over-do in many aspects of my life, and balance is something I’m always striving to find.

There are several sections to this book. Some ideas included are saving energy around the home, re-purposing packing crates and pallets, homemade citrus cleaner, decluttering ideas, storage solutions, reducing food waste, how to extend the life of produce, what to do with leftovers, yummy recipes, and much more. The photographs and images included are visually appealing and would make this a great gift book. Overall, I enjoyed this and found many practical tips I could use to achieve better balance in my life and home.

Thank you to Jonny Jackson, Elias Larsen, Andrews McMeel Publishing, and Netgalley for the copy to read and review.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Swedish lifestyle is all the rage at the moment; firstly we had 'hygge', and now we have 'lagom'. I'm a great fan of both concepts, as both are about living life more comfortably and pleasingly - savouring the little moments and making the most of what you've got. Both are terms which mean, by and large 'just the right amount', and this book will give you plenty of tips to do just that.

There is great photography throughout this book, balanced with clear and easy-to-read text. The book in itself is a masterpiece of beauty, but the content is where it really comes into its own. There are so many useful tips (some more just common sense) across many different parts. You'll find chapters about the home, such as decluttering and saving energy, a chapter about work and home and balancing the demands, and about eating a healthy diet.

I can't complain about this book - it is a lovely read and so packed full of great advice.

[Aneta Zemánková · Rating 4 out of 5]

Krásná knížka plná tipů, jak žít tak, abychom měli všeho právě tak akorát. Pro mě osobně nemohla přijít v lepším čase, než teď, kdy brzy začnu novou práci. Upomenutí zachovat si zdravou rovnováhu v životě a práci ve mně zůstane snad už napořád, za obzvlášť důležité považuji nenechat na sebe tlačit a umět říct ne. Kniha má velmi příjemný rozměr a je nádherná graficky, opravdu potěcha duše i mysli. Miluju základní myšlenku knihy: zjednodušit si život, aby v něm bylo jen to, co je pro mě důležité. A čím ještě uzavřít mou recenzi? Není třeba být dokonalý, ale TAK AKORÁT.

[Mrs · Rating 1 out of 5]

Total reading time - 15 minutes. Spend these 15 minutes reading something else because book is not worth it, there is nothing you never read before somewhere else. Besides the definition book gives absolutely no clue what lagom is, no explanations or examples, just garden variery feel-good chatter.
Total waste of paper.

[Margarita Garova · Rating 3 out of 5]

Granny wisdom served on a hipster plate (in a cute way, though)

[Victoria · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good little book. A bit of common sense would have you doing most of the things in this book but some nice ideas nonetheless.

[Bianca · Rating 2 out of 5]

Super interesting read and full of really helpful tips that I agree with

[Shriya · Rating 4 out of 5]

First and foremost, what a calming cover?!

Onto the context..Part 2: A Balanced Diet and Good Health is exactly what I needed. I'm constantly trying to improve my wellbeing and to see a section on this made my reading experience pleasurable. I particularly loved portion control page, from today on wards I will be using it as a guide. There are a lot of articles, books and magazines on health and fitness but I feel that simplicity wins. I will forever think Lagom.
This book definitely makes a great gift for anyone above the age of 16. I have already shared this book with my family.

Highly recommend


After reading Hygge by Summerdale last year I instantly knew that this publisher is in my top list.
I was fortunate enough for the team to send me a copy of The Little Book of Lagom to review. Big thank you!

[Валентина Алякіна · Rating 5 out of 5]

Давно цікавило поняття лагом. Насправді, виявилося, що це мало відрізняється від мокрого світосприйняття. Але книга ще раз нагадала мені про речі, на які варто більше звертати уваги. Жити не лише для себе, а й для оточуючого світу.

[Jill · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a new year, and that means it's time to look back over the last year and see what worked for us and what didn't. I know that something I struggled with last year was balance. My work/life balance was not at all, and I'm determined in 2018 to bring more life and less work to the balance. So while I'm still all over last year's obsession with Danish hygge (I love comfort!), this year I'm adding lagom. 

Lagom is the Swedish idea of trying to find balance in life. It's about living simply and with intention, while leaving behind overshopping, overspending, overcrowding, and over-everything else. And the best quick introduction to lagom I've found so far is The Little Book of Lagom by Jonny Jackson and Elias Larsen. It is small, like the title says, only about seven inches square (or whatever size your tablet is, if you're an ereader like me), and under 150 pages. And if that sounds like a lot of pages to you, realize that there are many pages with only photos or illustrations, so it's very fast to zip through and get introduced to the concept of lagom. 

Divided into four sections, The Little Book of Lagom give advice on creating a balanced home, a balanced sense of health, that work/life balance that eluded me last year, and balance in your legacy in the world. There are lots of quick tips, a few recipes, and numerous ideas for reducing stress, decluttering, eliminating waste, and living a life that makes you happy. None of the advice is overly deep or difficult; mostly, it's quick tips and ideas to help you get focused again and make smarter choices. It's not about fixing everything that's wrong in your life or living so piously that your friends no longer want to know you. It's about finding what's right for you, what works for you, what makes you happy and gets you closer to your goals. Lagom is that simple. And The Little Book of Lagom keeps things that simple. It makes a fantastic gift, for yourself or for anyone you know who is struggling to find balance in their life. 

And now that you know all that, you still have one questions. I know what it is. It's pronounced lah-gom. 

You're welcome. 



Galleys for The Little Book of Lagom were provided by Andrews McMeel Publishing through NetGalley.com, with many thanks. 

[Paul Franco · Rating 3 out of 5]

There are a lot more uses for Goldilocks now than there used to be, even astronomically speaking, and this could be one of them, as it is a philosophy of “not too much, not too little, just right.” Having visited Sweden often, I can attest that a lot of people really do think this way. . . which is one of the reasons I visit so often.
There’s tips to make your home more energy-efficient. There’s a crafts article on how to turn an old t-shirt into a tote bag, as well as other clothes that can be reincarnated as draft stoppers or rugs. The part about storing your clothes vertically in the drawers was a revelation, as was the advice to eat before shopping for groceries. On the other hand, the recipes meant nothing to me, as almost every one has ingredients I’m allergic to or can’t stand. Same with the garden.
Like many advice books, there’s a lot of what’s usually called common sense, even if it isn’t. . . common. It really doesn’t feel much different than other similar books, simply using the Swedish connection as a way to supposedly differentiate.

[Kathy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Lagom is a Swedish term for "just the right amount". Apparently, an entire lifestyle has been built around it - living and enjoying a simpler life so that you can focus on what's really important. It endorses a more minimalistic lifestyle, including less things (declutter, repurpose, reuse) and maintaining a smaller ecological footprint.

The book is divided into four parts: Home; Balanced Diet & Good Health; Healthy Work/Life Balance and Balance Your Needs with the Wider World. It contains home projects, craft projects, recipes, exercises etc., etc., etc.

I understand this theory is meant to encompass your entire life, but it's little more than common sense. It seems to be trying to be too much of everything to be really good at anything. I found it trite and boring. I, unfortunately, cannot recommend this book.

Thanks to Netgalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for allowing me the opportunity to review an e-ARC of this book. The opinions in this review are strictly my own.

[Sam · Rating 2 out of 5]

I must admit I was a little disappointed by this book. It turned out to be a collection of hints and tips that are largely common sense and traditional advice for saving time and money rather than anything obviously specific to the Swedish way of life (granted I know very little about this but I was hoping that this would tell me). There was also quite a focus on families with children and not so much for those of us who are childfree. Having recently read a book on Hygge, which was a delight to read and very focused on the Danish way, I may have made unfair comparisons but then this does present itself as the next Hygge so the comparison isn't completely unfounded. Overall, this was a bit disappointing.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a great book for actively reading and improving the balance in your life. There are tips, recipes, and projects as well as useful contacts and references.

The major pitfall of this book, in my opinion, is that it is written for parents. All the recipes produce a ton of surplus. Most of the lifestyle tips are for helping to organize your family life.

I liked how many ideas for things to do and tutorials it had. Perhaps this needs to be marketed to a narrower audience in order to receive the praise it might deserve.

[Kira · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book is small and cute, but very basic and almost, I would say, amateur.
There is very little explanation about LAGOM concept per se, it's more different ideas on how to save energy, live mindfully etc.
There was also one thing that kind of appalled me - as an example of how to "distress" and have a good "me time" the authors suggest a gossip session with a friend. I found that advice very odd.
The pictures are nice, but I was disappointed to see they were from Shutterstock and not original.

[Tung Lam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sách khá mỏng nên đọc cũng nhanh. Nội dung không có gì nhiều, ban đầu mình nghĩ sẽ viết kha khá về lối sống, nhưng tác giả lồng quá nhiều các loại công thức làm đồ ăn, đồ uống, cảm thấy không hợp lý cho lắm. Những phần về life style thì khá sơ sài và đã được viết ở rất nhiều sách khác rồi.

Đây là quyển sách đầu tiên về Lagom mà mình đọc, cứ nghĩ nó sẽ giúp mình có thêm một góc nhìn khác về lối sống có phần tương đồng với lối sống tối giản mà mình theo đuổi đã được 5 năm nay, tuy nhiên hơi thất vọng.

[Camila · Rating 4 out of 5]

*This book was given to me by the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review – all opinions are my own.*
This is a great book to learn more about the Swedish concept of Lagom. This book is filled with recipes, friendly tips to live a better balanced life and DIY projects. And the best thing is, it's done in a great manner. It's nicely written, and filled with beautiful imagery and drawings. I highly recommend this book if you want to learn more about Lagom.

[Isabel (kittiwake) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lagom may seem like an exercise in frugality but in essence it’s about living and enjoying a similar life so that you focus on what’s important. It’s something that can be tailored to your individual needs with small tweaks to every aspect of your lifestyle to bring balance. Above all, you can be as lagom as you want to be as it’s not about everything being perfect; it’s about being ‘just right’ for you.

A small book containing lots of ideas about how to live a more fulfilling life.

[Azamat · Rating 4 out of 5]

В целом довольно хорошая книга про уход за домом. В ней 100500 советов хозяйке на заметку (лайфхаки). Оно все как бы про лагом, но по сути просто хорошие решения. Проблема в том, что ощущение такое, что для их применения надо жить в Швеции или вроде того. Многие вещи не сделаешь в квартире, а другие в принципе редко встречаются в нашей жизни. Но если вам нравится строить уют дома, тогда может быть книга полезной и интересной.

[Candid · Rating 2 out of 5]

Saw this book on the library shelf and thought I’d give it a try. It’s a small “how to adult with moderation” book. Some super elementary joy seeking tips (How to Keep House while Drowning), some tips about environmentalism (that I’m pretty sure we all learned in grade school), and some recipes. All with a barely existent theme of moderation. Terribly disappointing. There wasn’t a single thing that felt remotely informative and wouldn’t be better handled by another book.

[Mrs.Bee.17 · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book seemed like a strange layout for approaching the philosophy or practice of “Lagom.” It’s not super informative, and instead gives random examples of ways to “balance” your life, including tacking stuffed animals up on a Velcro wall strip, and curling up the ends of metal hangers to use to hang up shoes. There are better Lagom books available.

[Dani Ta · Rating 4 out of 5]

The illustrations are very catchy. It tells lovely stories implying the advice for a calm and "just-right" lifestyle. The tips are shown and described in detail how to save the energy, tidy up your room, reduce food wasting and start changing your life from tiny things. I highly recommend it to you who are looking for a relaxing book.

[Lily · Rating 2 out of 5]

The cover and topic pulled me in, but I found that I wasn’t really given a clear idea of what I’m supposed to be reading or how it connects to each other. It is a compilation of hints and tips for everything from saving on your electric bill to exercises to do. It simply wasn’t what I expected at all.

[Yến Vi · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ngoài những lời khuyên cũ rích và giáo điều ra thì sách còn tốn giấy nữa. Những tấm ảnh đậm chất tải từ google xuống không hề mang tính cá nhân hay độc đáo nào.
Giá trị duy nhất cuốn sách mang lại cho t là định nghĩa lagom:
Lagom là một xu hướng sống kiểu Thuỵ Điển, chưa có từ chuyển ngữ sang quốc gia khác, chỉ cảm giác hài lòng, biết đủ để tận hưởng cuộc sống.

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a cute little book that you can finish in about an hour. It has cute photos, recipies and many simple but useful tips to keep your life organized and balanced through the concept of lagom.

Thank you to Netgalley for allowing me to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Kaye · Rating 2 out of 5]

An attractive, not terribly inspiring collection of the usual improve your life advice, such as: eat at the table; reduce screen time; and install a water saving shower head. There were two surprises. One was about storing apples, the other was about making your own root cellar out a dresser.

[Jana · Rating 1 out of 5]

Compilation of tips. Some are good but not new, some rather questionable and some unbelievably random (like what bank account to choose). I would appreciate if the authors followed their own advice on saving paper. This reads like a magazine yet it is a book. Could had been a blog post!

[Ashley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Feels like a lot of other tiny titles on the market right now, but I really liked the sections on food and stress reduction, I have not seen such specific information before in one of these books before!

[heroine · Rating 2 out of 5]

Trivial, doesn't help, doesn't do any harm.