Nationaldagen – Five useful things the Swedes have given research students (apart from ABBA and IKEA)

One of the best times of year to visit Sweden is in June. That’s because the Swede’s have some great ideas about work-life balance that result in two very long, public holiday, weekends in June. Ono celebrate Nationaldagen (National Day), which this year falls on Tuesday, 6 June, and the other, Midsommer, which takes place over the weekend beginning 23 June. These weekends typically begin with a de facto half-day on the first day and continue right through until very late on the fourth! They remind us of the positive effect the Swedish work-lifestyle can have while you are studying or researching.

Here are five useful things we have picked up from working with students from Sweden.

Planning: Good planning is an integral part of the Swedish way of living. IKEA’s devotion to precise design is testimony to this. Many Swedish students and researchers will be able to tell you exactly what they will be doing on any given day, three or four months ahead. Planning doesn’t just apply on the work front but also socially, where planning meetings for group activities are a useful way of socialising, making connections, and collaborating with other students and academic staff (lecturers, librarians, school administrators, etc.). LinkedIn, Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp and countless other apps have not matched the Swedish desire to meet face-to-face and plan. Get into the habit of planning socially, and not just for today, but for next week, next month, and even next year, when necessary.

Lagom (pronounced lar-gohm): This is a Swedish concept meaning ‘just the right amount’, ‘in moderation’, ‘in balance’ and ‘perfect-simple’. Like ABBA’s music, the Swede’s prefer most things in life to be not too hot, not too cold, but just right. Lagom is important when studying or researching your thesis. It is important not to waste too much time on the ‘hot stuff’, but also not to spend too little time or waste good time on the ‘cold stuff’. Getting it ‘just right’ – Lagom – is more likely to earn approval from colleagues in the academic world; too much or too little usually gets the thumbs down.

Fika (coffee breaks): These are an important part of Swedish learning culture. In Sweden it is essential that you take regular breaks from your studies or research to socialise with your colleagues, have a coffee, and catch up on college news in an informal way. The only challenges of fika are gauging what is a lagom amount of time to spend at it (so that you get the maximum information in the least time), getting used to drinking copious amounts of coffee (black, as sugar and milk are considered non-essential), developing an appreciation of bulle (Swedish cinnamon buns), developing a liking for easy-listening music, and avoiding getting cornered by another researcher who wants to talk non-stop about their project. Oh, and watch out for the concept of patar (the second cup) – if the conversation is flowing, be prepared to delay for a while over second cup of coffee.

Punctuality: This differs from culture to culture, but for the Swedes coming late to anything is simply bad. If IKEA delivers something to your home late, that is very bad. Coming late to study or research meetings is perceived as disrespectful Let’s just say that when it comes to collaborating and working together on you must always take the Swedish approach – be there on time.

Preciseness: Swedish, unlike English and some other languages, is a very precise language and the Swedes are not generally known for their linguistic padding or waffle. So, whether you are sending e-mails, asking questions in an interview or requesting respondents to fill out a questionnaire be concise and get rid of unnecessary words. Think of the IKEA assembly manuals as the model – use as few words as possible.

Following the Swedish example pays dividends. Whether you are at the planning, doing or writing-up stage of your thesis or dissertation, what better time to adopt this way of working than on Nationaldagen!

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