A method for operating a lighting device comprising n>1 light generating units configured to generate a respective primary light beam and comprising a phosphor surface spaced apart from the light generating units is provided. The method may include illuminating an i-th partial surface of the phosphor surface by i light generating units if a desired positive brightness value on this illuminated partial surface falls below or reaches a next higher i-th brightness threshold value from a group of n−1 positive, progressively increasing brightness threshold values; otherwise illuminating by n light generating units; wherein i and n are whole natural numbers and i=[1, . . . , n] holds true.