Practical contentment

I recently discovered Muji’s ethos, where the company champion against a world obsessed with perfection:

“We do not make objects to entice responses of strong affinity, like, “This is what I really want” or, “I must have this.” MUJI’s goal is to give customers a rational satisfaction, expressed not with, “This is what I really want” but with “This will do.”

“This is what I really want” expresses both faint egoism and discord, while “This will do” expresses conciliatory reasoning. In fact, it may even incorporate resignation and a little dissatisfaction.

MUJI’s goal is to sweep away that slight dissatisfaction, and raise the level of the response, “This will do” to one filled with clarity and confidence.”

In product and software development, balancing perfection and completeness is incredibly difficult.

I appreciate this mindset because it’s not about compromising quality, but appreciating sufficiency. It’s a shift from chasing perfection to finding contentment in what meets our needs.

This doesn’t mean omitting tiny details, but embracing reason.

“This will do” speaks practical contentment, at times even mixed with bittersweet resignation. Yet, this acceptance is empowering. It liberates us from overwhelming choices and pending dissatisfaction that often accompanies them.

So the next time you’re at a decision crossroads, pause and ponder—maybe, just maybe, “this will do” is all you need to move forward.