Hygge and Productivity

I recently finished listening to The Little Book of Hygge, by Miek Wiking. Wiking is the CEO of the Happiness Research Institute. What a great job title.

How can hygge (hue-guh) help you be more productive?

Let’s start with a definition. What is hygge? It doesn’t translate exactly but it is why Danes are consistently ranked as some of the happiest people in the world. It is an attitude about enjoying the simple things in life with friends and family. It is a noun but is often made into a verb. It is even more often made into a compound word. Like kaffehygge (coffee and hygge) or hyggekrog (a cozy place to snuggle up with a blanket).   

Three are three main lessons from the book.

• Etymology: It could be from a Norwegian word meaning wellbeing but other possibilities are various of the Norwegian words for hug, comfort or mood. A common translation is coziness but according to Wiking, it isn’t an idea but a mood or feeling. Even an action.
• To have hygge you need the right atmosphere. It takes an effort to have to right environment to create hygge. Someplace that feels homey. It doesn’t have to be a home;  it can be a restaurant but it needs the right atmosphere. Such a place may be called hyggelig. Wiking talks about the right lighting by using dim but sufficient lighting that is achieved with candle-lit, fireplace lighting, beautiful lamps in several areas of a room. Interiors created with natural materials is important to like wood, animal skins and stone.  
• You can hygge anywhere and anytime doing anything. Wiking give examples in the book about how to hygge is the summer, outside and doing just about anything.     

How can this mood help us be more productive? When we are uncomfortable, stressed or unhappy we aren’t productive. When we feel assured, balanced and settled we tend to be more motivated and therefore more productive.

• Make time for breaks with co-workers – Especially lunch. It is not very hygge to eat hunched over your desk alone. Make time to eat something delicious and spend so time not talking about work with your co-workers.  
• Work with others – Hygge is about being with friends. Trying working in the same space, especially if you are working on similar projects. Working around other people can also create motivation and accountability in co-works to keep working.
• Cozy up open-plan work environments – Remember it is about the right atmosphere so instead of the workplace being filled with metal and glass add some softness with couches, big chairs, and area rugs. Soften lighting by maximizing natural lighting and using lamps. The Danes have candles everywhere including schools and offices, you may not be about to get away with that at your place of business but if you can then add some candles too.
• Work in a cozy spot – Sitting in a chair at a desk may not be hygge. Many offices have couches and other gathering areas. Move to one of those when you can. If you work for yourself or from home then work in a cozy spot. I am actually writing this in my den in my favorite cozy chair with candles and some task lighting. My husband is next to me reading the newspaper.
• Keep a simple workspace – Visual clutter cause stress whether you know it or not. Keep as minimal of a workspace as you possibly can. Hygge is about simplicity.
• Have smaller meetings – Only have people to a meeting who really need to be there. Smaller meetings have a more casual feeling to them and often produce richer more meaningful conversation.
• Wrap it up – At the end of the day, take a moment to write down what you accomplish and what are the next steps (actually actions) for the next day. Take a moment to make sure the workspace is decluttered if it got away from you that day.

Enjoy some Hygge during your work day!