What is Danish Hygge? Danish people are among the happiest people in the world. What is their secret? Their culture promotes a feeling of happiness, they work on Hygge. Hygge focuses on the positive details in life. One important aspect of Hygge is how your home is maintained. In her book, “Goodbye Clutter, Hello Freedom”, Lena Bentsen explains how to create and maintain a happy home that is a positive aspect to your lifestyle. By maintaining order in your home, you will gain freedom and have room for the best things in life that make you happy.
According to Bentsen, we gather energy from our homes. If your home is overrun with clutter, it will not provide energy and might deplete your energy and feeling of well-being. By removing clutter, your home will be a place you are happy to spend time in, a retreat where you can recharge. There are 2 types of clutter: active clutter and passive clutter. Active clutter is something you are currently using, but it becomes passive clutter if you finish with the items and do not put them away. It is easy for clutter to pile up, it just seems to happen. Bentsen describes, not only how to reduce and organize clutter, but also how to maintain order once the home is tidied up.
Bentsen helps you determine which items should stay in your home and which items you should get rid of. If an item gives you pleasure or serves a necessary function, you should keep it. If you could “live without” the item, it is most likely something you could get rid of. Anything that brings up a negative feeling is out! She goes on to explain that the process of cleaning up and ridding your home of clutter is best begun right now and in small pieces. Clear out one thing at a time, try not to overwhelm yourself by trying to tackle too much at once, you will be disappointed and give yourself small rewards along the way. Each item will need a place to “live”, a place for everything. By giving each item a place to be, you will be able to maintain order and put things away.
Bentsen discusses various categories of items that can be difficult to get rid of. She gives guidelines to help you determine if it is time to let that item go. Her biggest guideline is “can you live without it?” If the answer is “yes, it is time to let it go.
The last few chapters of the book explain how to maintain the order in your home once you have cleaned it up and removed items you no longer need. Everything should, at this point, have a place to live in your home, no items should be “homeless”. She suggests developing good routines to maintain the order in the home. Each project or activity can be seen as a circle from the beginning to the end. At the end of the activity or project, the items are put back in their proper place. That way “active” clutter does not become “passive” clutter. By keeping the clutter in check, you will actually save more time and keep your home as a positive place you are happy to be in and love to have visitors come to.
Organizing your home will help you organize your life and care for yourself. With a well- maintained home, there is room to work on Hygge in your life. You can be free to enjoy the small details in life that really matter.