Work-Life Balance: Creating hygge in your home office
How can we boost our productivity without sacrificing on our wellbeing? As leaves start falling and cold season is upon us, Hygge comes to rescue
What is hygge anyway? You probably have heard this term before as it has swirled the internet in the past few years. It became very popular after Meik Wiking, CEO of Happiness Research Institute published The Little Book of Hygge: The Danish Way to Live Well.
Hygge can’t be exactly translated into English with say, the word ‘cosiness’ because it encapsulates much more than that. Hygge is a feeling of warmth, cosiness and togetherness.
What does it have to do with work?
Denmark is known for consistently ranking among the top of the World Happiness Report list. It is also famous for their work-life balance. As the book highlights, spending time with family really boosts the happiness and is the basis of hygge. According to Mark, in Demark people don’t stay ay work past 5PM. Managers don’t schedule meetings that might go after 5PM because parents will be late to pick up their children. People rush back home to prepare dinner and spend time with loved ones. That is the norm. Let’s compare that with a typical day in Toronto where you usually leave office around 6PM, but the work doesn’t stop there — sometimes there are meetings and events that last until 9PM! Also it is not a surprise when people have their lunches on desks.
Pandemic and moving to work-from-home regime have worsened working conditions and increased work hours for many. Now that we are in WFH mode for the long haul, we need to adapt and create sustainable and healthy working environment and routines. So, let’s take examples from Danes. FYI, not only Danes are masters of work-life balance. There are also many examples from Sweden, Norway and few other European countries (in Spain they have a mid-day siesta, for example), but I am going to mostly draw on Danish examples.
On average 60% of Europeans meet their friends at least once a week. In Denmark the average is 78%. Danes like to meet in smaller circles, with about 40% preferring 3–4 peoples for a hygge get-together. As the statistics from the book show, hanging out with friends and family is very important, but also there was lot of happiness associated with hanging out with colleagues. Thus, an important thing for a company is to build an inclusive and friendly team culture — one that doesn’t start and end in the office cubicle, but where colleagues can actually meaningfully connect with each other.
Team lunches, playing games, drinks after work, team events and even coffee breaks and casual chit chat in the office kitchen allowed our brains to refresh and offload. By the way for Swedes fika time — coffee break is so important, they take at least 2 fika breaks, but often even more than that in a single day! It is a natural equaliser for people in different positions and at different levels of the corporate ladder to bond over a fika break, promoting exchange of opinions and creative ideas. However, after moving to WFH environment, lots of companies tried to recreate this via Zoom which didn’t proof as effective as real life engagement and resulted in Zoom fatigue. Oops.
So what can we do when we work from home? Here are some awesome ways to create a cozy, productive yet peaceful atmosphere at your home. ]
Making yourself comfortable anywhere
Danes don’t just engage in hygge, they live in hygge. This means manipulating their environment into becoming comfortable, cosy, and homely so they experience hygge anywhere and anytime.
According to author Wiking, here are some ways to make your home hyggeligt:
- Dedicate a space for your office and a cozy nook — like a cozy and safe space to recharge after meetings or brainstorm ideas in peace.
- Add in blankets or cushions for that cosy feel
- Fill up a bookshelf with your favourite books
- Inject elements of nature in your home (think wood and plants)
- Candles, lots of ‘em
Outside the home, Danes also feel their workplace should be hyggeligt too, and they make an effort to do so, by bringing cakes to meetings, placing cushions on chairs, or dressing up comfortably.
Keep it tidy
If your home/office is a mess, so is your brain. Cleaning up the space, decluttering the unnecessary will reduce your stress levels. Clean desk, clean brain. By creating more space on your desk you mentally create clarity in your brains and more space for the creative juices to flow. I always keep my desk to the minimum and remove anything that can distract me. Look below for some inspiration of Scandinavian minimalist workspaces.
The beauty of working from home is that your favourite trinkets like photos of loved ones or a beloved mug are already at an arm’s length. Be careful though and keep your office and your home separate , so there is a clear line or “context change” (popular word during pandemic) that will help you switch and focus on work or feel like “I’m done!” after a workday.
Lunch break
Eating al-desko is certainly frowned upon. Usually Danes like to eat together at communal tables or get out into the fresh air. Multi-tasking — eating a salad while replying to emails — is not considered the hygge way. Make sure to take a proper lunch break: grab a bite outside or take a walk, or just enjoy your meal with your family.
Plantify your home-office
Bring in the zen and create warmth while sprucing up your workspace. Plants not clean your air but according to research lights up your mood by increasing oxytocin in your brain.This reduces stress and boosts productivity and creativity! And its also very cozy — adding to the overall hygge. I tried this tip myself and definitely having flowers or plants made me more calm and happy. There is something about the light coming through the window and shining on your plants :)
Consistent Coffee Breaks
How often during your busy workday do you take a break (besides lunch)? Like I mentioned earlier, once or twice a day Swedes step away from their work to sip a coffee, nibble a pastry, and socialize with their colleagues.
While it may seem counterintuitive, taking breaks from work can actually boost your productivity, as science has shown time and again. This is because the human brain works in “sprints,” staying focused for about one hour before needing to rest and recharge. That’s why Pomodoro technique is effective for getting work done.
Digital Minimalism
And last but not least. Do yourself a favour and turn off notifications on your work phone and emails. Set yourself a time limit, like after 6PM — you are unreachable. It is okay. Work can wait, but your child growing up, or some other precious moments of your life won’t. So just be present in that. We spend already at least 40hours at work, so after that just turn off that part of your brain and do something different. Create an evening routine like going for a walk, stretching, drinking an herbal tea and reading to a book before sleep, instead of watching Netflix or scrolling Instagram. This has been a major game-changer for me. It helped me to wake up next morning earlier and feeling refreshed to tackle the daily tasks and projects!
Have a very hygge November, friends!
