Why Is Buffer Time So Important?

Today’s top tip is all about something deceptively simple, but potentially game-changing: being early.

Because when being on time really matters – job interviews, big meetings, long motorway journeys with a boot full of makeup and eyebrow pencils – it’s not just about punctuality. It’s about peace of mind.

Buffer Time: Your Secret Advantage

In this top tip, we’re getting into why buffer time is your best mate, how a little prep goes a long way, and why being within striking distance – literally or metaphorically – puts you in control, not in chaos.

This August, my youngest daughter got the results she needed and she’s off to Manchester Met to study Event Management. Cue proud dad moment. I’ll reflect on the slightly emptier nest when it hits, but right now I’m in full-on practical mode.

She’s moving out. Along with, I kid you not, three quarters of a tonne of makeup, lotions and other bottled mysteries I don’t understand but am assured are essential.

The Great Departure-Time Debate

We’ve got our time slot for drop-off – noon on the dot. Four-hour drive. That’s simple maths, right? Leave at 8am?

Wrong.

Some members of my household – naming no names – saw that four-hour figure and declared 8am to be the logical departure time. “That’ll get us there bang on time,” they said cheerfully. “Plenty of time.”

I didn’t even blink. I just said, “We’re leaving at 6.”

Buffer Time Isn’t Paranoia – It’s Peace of Mind

A whole two-hour buffer. That’s 50% extra. Excessive? Not at all. Essential.

Because when you’ve got a 230-mile trip up the M6, you’re not just driving – you’re rolling the dice. Traffic, roadworks, sat nav tantrums, service station detours, or that moment when someone realises they’ve forgotten a vital eyebrow pencil 25 minutes into the trip.

Buffer time isn't paranoia – it’s peace of mind.

Time Management Is Mindset, Not Just Diaries

Here’s the thing about time management – it's not just about your diary. It's about your mindset.

Planning to be early is one of the most effective habits you can adopt. Not only because it reduces stress, but because it puts you in control.

If we hit no traffic and roll up early? Fantastic. There’s a Costa near campus with our name on it. We’ll be there. Ready. Within striking distance.

Much better than legging it up the stairs, breathless and late, muttering something about roadworks and the cat sitting on your laptop cable.

The Always-Late Crowd

This is a principle that applies whether you’re driving across the country or walking into a Monday morning meeting.

I guarantee you know someone who’s always ten minutes late. Always. You can set your watch by how unreliable they are. And you’ll notice something else too – they’re often the same people who never have a pen, who didn’t read the pre-read, who show up not knowing the room has changed.

It’s not a time issue. It’s a prioritisation issue.

Buffer Time is a Choice You Make

They don’t value being on time. They don’t plan for it. And they certainly don’t build in buffer.

Because buffer time is a choice. It’s a choice to respect the people you’re meeting. A choice to prepare for the unexpected. A choice to not let lateness define your reputation.

Preparation Happens Before the Moment

Good time management is often about what happens before the moment you’re supposed to do something.

We’re packing the car the night before. Not the morning of. There will be no faffing with last-minute hair straighteners or missing phone chargers. The plan is simple: up, dressed, coffee, drive.

If you’re aiming to be somewhere at 9am and you’re still choosing your shoes at 8:50, you haven’t prioritised the task. You’ve prioritised faffing.

The Power of Options

When you build in a buffer, you give yourself options. You can go slowly. You can navigate surprises. You can arrive, breathe, and take five minutes to mentally prepare.

Isn't that worth getting up half an hour earlier for?

Challenge: Build in Buffer

So here’s your challenge this week and beyond: build in buffer.

It’s not just about being on time – it’s about being ready. About being composed. About stepping into every moment like you meant to be there all along, because you did.

Whether it’s an interview, a school run, a client meeting or a campus drop-off, arriving early is a power move. It signals calm, capability and control. Even if you’re exhausted and caffeinated to the eyeballs, at least you’re there.

Worst Case, You’re Early

And if you’re early, you’ve got options. Worst case scenario? You’re early. Best case? You dodge disaster.

This top tip? Build in a buffer.

Whether it’s ten minutes or two hours, give yourself that margin. It’s the simplest way to reclaim control of your time – and your sanity.

Being within striking distance of where you need to be is underrated. So get there early, relax, and give future-you a high five for being so brilliantly prepared.

Over to You

If you found this helpful, why not subscribe? And let me know in the comments – what’s your ultimate buffer-time horror story?