What is Enough? 7 questions to ask yourself and the reasons why
Instead of doing more, what if you did enough? Enough can feel almost transgressive, but in reality it can be quite transformative. Here are some reasons why enough is worth taking seriously.
Set aside 20–30 minutes to work through these prompts to find clarity, which, as any experienced clinician knows, is where good decisions come from.
1. What would I like to have enough of in my life?
Because more instead of enough is impacting your wellbeing
You've spent your career doing more. More training, more clinics, more cover, more responsibility. The culture of medicine doesn't just reward more, it treats it as a moral position. When things don’t work out as planned, clinicians often circle back to the same place: I could have done more, I should be doing more, the system needs more.
Asking "what would be enough?" feels counter-intuitive when the gaps in the system persist. Asking “what is enough for me” may feel self-indulgent when waiting lists are long and rotas thin.
When you focus too hard and for too long on what the system needs from you, you forget what you need in order to function well and remain sufficiently healthy to serve its beneficiaries.
2. What does enough mean for me?
Because more instead of enough is impacting clinical services
In the latest available NHS data, anxiety, stress, depression, and other psychiatric conditions account for over a quarter of all days lost to sickness absence across the NHS workforce. A third of staff report their work always or often leaves them feeling burnt out. Recent research by Tealdi et al demonstrates a direct association between staff sickness and surgical waiting lists, with a 4.4% reduction in completed elective surgery cases for each 1% rise in medical workforce sickness rate.
Knowing what enough rest and work looks and feels like is essential, not just for individuals but for the organisation we work for and for the communities we serve.
3. How does having enough of something align with my core values?
Because values alignment is one of the most evidence-supported interventions for burnout
When can you say you’ve accrued sufficient wealth, knowledge, status, respect, whatever motivates you to do what you do? Aligning enough of something to your core values and sense of purpose is a well-evidenced approach to managing physician burnout (Gazelle, Liebschutz and Reiss, 2014). When clinicians lose sight of the reason why they entered medicine or stop connecting daily work to what they actually care about, they become disengaged.
Naming what "enough" means in your life beyond your work is a way to connect to that sense of purpose.
4. What am I NOT prepared to do to have enough of this thing?
Because knowing what you are not prepared to do is important
If your first response is nothing you are not alone. Many doctors, for many reasons, will sacrifice almost anything to meet clinical demand. Internal factors such as perfectionism, guilt and self-denial, coupled with a medical culture that emphasises denial of personal vulnerability and delayed gratification is a recipe for burnout. Nurse leaders cite emotional buffering, where they protect staff from organisational pressures while absorbing those pressures themselves, is a cause of exhaustion and burnout (Membrive-Jiménez et al, 2020).
Explicitly and proactively Identifying your limits is not weakness. It's an act of self compassion.
5. How does having enough of this Help me to achieve my goals?
Because autonomy, competence and meaning are psychological needs, not luxuries
This question connects directly to the psychology literature on self determination theory and human wellbeing. When our human needs of autonomy, competence and relatedness are met, we experience greater motivation and psychological wellbeing (McAnally and Hagger, 2024). It has been shown to be related to better employee performance, satisfaction, and engagement, while need frustration is associated with increased burnout and turnover.
It’s the difference between thriving or merely surviving.
6. Who do I know who has enough of this thing in their lives?
Because it they show us that enough is not a compromise
Seeing that a colleague has found balance can be a powerful reminder that enough over more is possible rather than theoretical. You don't have to invent a solution from scratch. Someone, somewhere, has already found their "enough." It could also make you realise that the trade-offs for working towards more of something aren’t worth it.
Let someone else’s “enough” give you permission to stop trading your life for more.
7. What have I discovered about having enough of this thing in my life?
Because this is where the real work begins
This final question turns reflection into action. What does “enough” actually feel like for you now? Not for your organisation or the system in which you work, but for you in your daily life. Where is the line between feeling satisfied and striving for more? What assumptions have you been holding? What does all this tell you and what are you willing to do differently as a result?
Identifying clear, personally meaningful next steps moves you closer to a version of “enough” that is true and sustainable for you.
If this has surfaced something for you don’t leave it here
Turning clarity into action can be the hardest part to do alone, especially in a system that continually pulls you back towards “more.” Perhaps you want to raise it at your next job plan meeting or at appraisal, but don’t know how to put it into words that will actually be heard?
My coaching approach comes from my lived experience of just this. I help clinicians define what enough means for them to build a realistic, sustainable way of living and working, grounded in your values, your limits and your priorities.
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