Enoughness and the B-Average Life

The idea of enoughness and the B-average life sounds rebellious in a culture that worships 10X output. We are told that more money, longer hours and constant optimization guarantee fulfilment, yet evidence shows a different curve.

Daily happiness does rise with income, but the gains taper once basic needs and a modest buffer are covered; the latest large-sample study finds only the least-happy minority see little benefit beyond that point PubMed.

Pushing past roughly fifty hours of work each week also backfires. Field data on British munitions factories show output stops growing in proportion to hours after that point and soon declines IDEAS/RePEc, while a World Health Organization and International Labor Organization review links fifty-five hour weeks to a thirty-five per cent higher stroke risk and a seventeen per cent higher risk of fatal heart disease EMRO.

Unpacking Enoughness and the B-Average Life

Most of life happens in the messy middle, not at the margins of perfection. Treating “good enough” as truly great allows you to dodge the law of diminishing returns. The extra polish on a slide deck rarely outweighs the restorative value of an unhurried dinner or a quiet walk. By claiming that marginal hour you invest in relationships, rest and curiosity, you often gain more creativity and resilience than another tweak could deliver.

The Mediocre Manifesto frames this as a choice to live, not perform: leave work on time, resist monetizing every hobby, choose recovery over one more meeting.

When tasks shrink back to their proper size, autonomy and joy fill the space they used to occupy.

What the Data Says

• Quiet quitting is normal, not fringe. Gallup’s State of the Global Workplace 2023 found fifty-nine per cent of employees are “not engaged”, a category the firm equates with quiet quitting Gallup.com.
• Stress is widespread. The American Psychological Association’s Work in America 2023 survey reports that seventy-seven per cent of US workers felt work-related stress in the previous month, and fifty-seven per cent showed burnout-linked symptoms such as emotional exhaustion WORKTECH Academy.
• Long hours hurt output and health. Productivity levels off after about fifty hours and the cardiovascular risks above show the physical toll IDEAS/RePEcEMRO.

Across studies the pattern repeats: sustainable effort beats performative overwork, and engagement thrives when people have room to breathe.

Practical Ways to Live the Manifesto

1. Time-box to good enough. Set a timer for each task; when it rings, ship.
2. Log micro wins. Finishing a workout or finally sending a tough email counts. Small wins create momentum.
3. Schedule blank space. Unplanned blocks invite boredom and daydreaming, which fuel fresh ideas.
4. Swap comparison for curiosity. When a highlight reel triggers envy, ask what trade-offs delivered that image. Decide whether you want the same bargain.

Conclusion

Embracing Good Enough Is Actually Great rejects scarcity thinking in favor of a fuller life. It trusts that worth is not measured in slide revisions, that rest is productive and that impact outweighs raw volume. Choose the B-average path and you reclaim time, energy and attention for what truly sustains you. In that space the “average” moments become the ones that matter most.