Defining Lagom

Consciously choose
placid neural pathways
of equanimity:
stability grooved out
in good habits
instead of rapid firing
haphazardly in the
chaos of overwhelm,
with clutter–
both mental and physical–
impinging from every side.

Decide in favor
of a peaceful panacea–
nothing major–
just intentional minutiae,
leading towards a steady calm.
Each day choose
deliberate small actions
micro-dosing tiny routines–
deleting a hundred emails a day,
clearing your counter,
emptying your sink,
going on your walk,
until they become
sweetly automatic
and you no longer
ruminate over
whether or when
to do them.

Stack those
pockets of procedure
until moving between them
is fluid, leaving wide open,
unobstructed, discretional space.
Decision fatigue recedes
in a baseline of
repetitive patterns,
as well as through clarity
about who you are:
I do (or am) this
but I don’t do (or am not) that.
Lucidity no longer languishes
unsure of what to do.

Forge those relieving customs,
of moderation and equilibrium,
carefully selected and implemented,
reducing the jumble, tangle, and muddle
so you can be fully present
for all the other
time and activities in between–
the ones you really live for
and want to devote yourself to.
Reduce the pressure of perfectionism
and the constant distraction of excess,
for when anything comes
into the house,
something else goes out.

All this results in
greater contentment,
mindful consumption,
social equity, work life balance,
and the reduction of procrastination.
You do just enough, not too much,
you have the exact right amount,
and nothing more.

Be content in your sufficiency,
avoiding any binge or bust cycle;
only tiny conscious progress
reveals how showing up
for yourself frequently
in the littlest of minuscule ways,
makes the biggest, lasting difference.
Stay grounded, remembering
what matters most,
like having your life well oiled
and adequately lubricated,
gliding serenely but purposely, onward.

by Polly Castor
3/23/2026