Those tires that are attached to a boat dock buffer the boat from contacting the hard wood of the dock. I think those tires are called "bumpers"... and just like a car bumper (that cushions against the shock of a collision)... a bumper is a type of buffer.
But that's not the type of buffer I mean either.
Merriam-Webster has this as one of the definitions for buffer:
a means or device used as a cushion against the shock of fluctuations in business or financial activity
So, an emergency fund, or rainy day fund, is a buffer against the shock of some unexpected expense. Keeping an extra $1000 in your chequing account is a buffer against the fluctuation of those automatic payments/debits that come out at weird times of the month.
Or when you have a construction project... you build in a 10% contingency fund to cover the unexpected costs of the unexpected that is lurking behind the walls.
During Covid, there were several shocks to the system. Remember the toilet paper shortage? Or flour? Or yeast? Or masks and hand sanitizer? There was no buffer in the system for those increased demands... or at least not a big enough buffer. We did OK in the TP department though because we had a good buffer of toilet paper in our closet.
And... there's another type of buffer... at least for me... buffer time!
Buffer Time
I first started building buffer time into my days when I lived in Vancouver. Let's say I had an appointment at 7:30 pm. I know that it's a 15 minute bus ride. The buses leave every 10 minutes: 7:00, 7:10 and 7:20 pm. Which bus would you take? I learned, through hard experience, that the buses (a) don't always run on time and (b) that some buses mysteriously drop out of the system and just don't show up. Sometimes it's a mechanical issue or the relief driver didn't show up on time or... gremlins stole the bus. So, for me... I would take the 6:50 pm bus. Maybe I'd arrive at 7:05 pm if everything went tickety-boo... but there also might be bus delays and traffic and... well... you get the picture.
After I left Vancouver, and no longer had to rely on buses, I still had this built-in buffer time mechanism and would show up ridiculously early for meetings. It was a 5 minute drive and I'd leave 30 minutes early. Old habits are hard to break.
Today, I still factor it in. We have an appointment at 2:30 pm. My partner asks me what time we have to leave. It's usually a 10 minute drive, but it's a Friday afternoon, so traffic will be heavy on this one stretch, so let's call it 15 minutes. And then I know that my partner needs a bit more time to get out the door... so let's build in an extra 5 minutes of looking for things... and I'll say... "We have to leave at 2:10!" That's buffer time. And, on the odd occasion when my partner is ready on time... and the traffic is flowing fine... and all the green traffic lights align... we are there at 2:20 pm and my partner grumbles that we didn't have to leave so early! Ah yes... but some days it doesn't work that way!
And yes... when I have a flight to catch, I build in scads of buffer time! But then, I find it peaceful and restful to get checked-in and go through security and then sit on the other side and read a book or work on a blog or... whatever. My partner... not so much. We have to negotiate hard on how early we need to be at the airport for our flights!
But there's another facet of buffer time... which has nothing to do with appointments for flights.
Buffer Blogs
I try to post these blogs at least once a week. There isn't anyone standing over me demanding that I post these blogs regularly. Well... other than an internal "Me"! But if there is no expectation that a blog will be posted... then there is no incentive to write. And writing is good for me... hence the self-imposed expectation of one blog a week.
But this is what I've learned through years of blogging... things show up. Unexpectedly. Life goes sideways. There are trips and visitors... garden season in full swing... work gets super busy... several one night stays for the Airbnb requiring daily cleaning. Doesn't matter what it is... there is always "Something".
If I just post a blog in real time... week-to-week... there is zero buffer time. If life gets away from me... then the blog doesn't happen and, no, it's not the end of the world. But once one blog falls by the wayside... then maybe the following week does as well. And then I'm up against the wall. Forced to write a blog like... NOW! And inspiration doesn't always strike. When I'm under pressure, the ideas tend to dry up and... "ugh... I've let it go two weeks... I can let it go another week".
And that, my friends... is a sure-fire way for a blog to slide into a loonnngggg hiatus.
Buffering against a Hectic Life
A couple weeks ago, back in September (seeeeee!!!), I came to the realization that I need to make some hard choices in my schedule. I can't do everything. News flash, right? I was trying to write posts for three blogs... two were weekly and this blog was twice a week. But I realized there just weren't enough hours in the day.
Right now... as I write this on 10 October... I have blogs pre-scheduled into... February. That is quite a built-up buffer! The idea is, I can ease up on writing for this blog, and then focus on my other two blogs which currently have zero buffers. Even just a month of pre-scheduled blogs makes a huge difference...
But the problem is... this blog is the one where I can write most easily, off the cuff. My other two blogs... one requires considerable research and the other is often uncomfortable to write. So I default to this one here!
With such a huge buffer, I also begin to think... "maybe I should go back to twice a week..."... but then I give myself a shake and think... "No! Let's keep the buffer... and if we are writing in October... to publish in May... so be it!"
This also means that I rearrange blogs continuously. Because I'll get a bright idea for a pre-Christmas post and then have to shuffle all the pre-scheduled December blogs forward a week or two... I mean, it makes no sense to post something about recycling Christmas gift wrap in May! Right? Right.
So, if these blogs sometimes seem a bit... strange... it might be that I've rescheduled and not noticed that I have two sugar detox blogs within weeks of each other. Ooops... didn't mean to do that! One was written in March and kept getting pushed forward because of more timely posts... to that point that it almost overlaps with a sugar detox blog written in September. Ah well...
Don't Fritter away the Buffer
I am still learning not to blow the buffer. When you have a month of pre-scheduled blogs, it can be tempting to ease up on the gas pedal and turn to other things in life. But the weeks go by awfully fast and... if I'm not careful... I find myself facing a week with no blog scheduled. Like this week.
It is a Tuesday... a day on which I should be posting a DNA blog post. But do I have one scheduled? No. Do I have an idea of what I want to write about. No.
Same with my historical blog... I should have a post ready to go for tomorrow. But I do not. I have lots of ideas but they all require time to research and write.
The annoying thing is... I had a month of pre-posted DNA blogs just a few weeks ago. But then I got complacent and didn't write for a few weeks... and here we are with no buffer. I hate having no buffer.
It takes a LOT of effort to build a buffer for the DNA and historical blogs. A LOT. And it takes very little effort to coast and let those buffers evaporate.
I am going to have to take myself in hand and focus my writing on those two blogs and let this one sit for a few weeks. Which is hard because I have sooooo many ideas for this one! But writing isn't always about taking the easy route. Sometimes I have to take the more challenging route.
Because... confession time here... writing this blog post is a form of procrastination... I'm not writing the blogs I really need to be writing! Because this one is easier... and more fun... sigh.
And I'm curious. Do you buffer? Are there some buffer ideas that I'm missing??
Oh... and Buffer Time is "A Thing"... even in Star Trek! (You'll probably need to unmute it..."
