Maybe you have heard that Danish people are among the happiest people in the world. It is true, but we are not born that way. It is in our culture, and it can be learned. Danish Hygge is a big part of this. Hygge is a strange concept to describe, but really, it is mostly about focusing on positive details in life. Details that put you in a good mood. The Danes care about details. We create the Hygge mood, which helps us survive through periods of bad weather. Even when the weather turns good for a short period, we still continue to Hygge. All year around.
Social gatherings with friends almost always take place at home and that’s why we, as a nation, are exceedingly passionate about our homes. Danish Hygge is about caring, and when we do not care for our surroundings, clutter begins to spread its way into our lives, and Hygge is no longer a possibility. By learning some new techniques for thoroughly cleaning up and prioritizing your time so that you can keep yourself organized every day, you will find that you have much more time for fun and Hygge. Believe me. You will have no more anxiety about your home, you will be able to spontaneously invite friends over without a second thought, and you will dare to welcome unexpected guests without hesitation.
In my book, Goodbye Clutter, Hello Freedom, I share the techniques to clean up the Danish way. It will help you to know what to get rid of and what to save. You will learn tools and techniques to help you focus on why and how to sort through your stuff and how to maintain daily order in an easy way.
Similar in ways to the KonMari method, the Danish techniques for decluttering discussed in my book encourage decluttering by category and getting rid of anything which doesn’t ‘spark joy’. Everything in your surroundings must support you in a positive way, either by function or by ‘heart value’. The rest, you must let go. Have a chat with your things. Ask them, “How do you support me?” When letting go, say, “Goodbye and thank you for the time we spent together.”
I am not advocating that our homes should be so tidy that it is no longer obvious who lives there. A home should reflect the best aspects of who lives there. You need to make your home into a place where you enjoy being. Just as it is important to love your daily life, you should be able to love living it in your home.
Once you know what you appreciate, where your stuff is, and can understand the difference between what is good and what is bad for you to own, you will be free to enjoy the life that you truly deserve. Many people have already been taught to say “goodbye” to their clutter and “hello” to a life filled with freedom, Danish Hygge, and a better overall outlook. So, why should there not be hope for you as well?
For some initial tips on decluttering the Danish Way, read 9 Tips to Start Decluttering the Danish Way.
Lena Bentsen is a Danish Life Designer living in Denmark and because of this, Danish Hygge and lifestyle are deeply anchored in her DNA. She wrote her book, Goodbye Clutter, Hello Freedom because she wants to help you experience the amazing feeling of freedom that comes from living in a home that reflects the best part of you. To create a home that is easy to clean up and built on the foundation of Danish Hygge.
One of the best ways to start off a new year is to make space for more joy, harmony and hygge in your life and this can begin by decluttering your home of all the things that have been taking up space in the past year (or more).
