Buffer time or no time?

There are two kinds of people in this world:

Those who believe in getting ready for the day well before they ever need to leave their home. These are people who shower and get dressed first thing. They eat breakfast, brush their teeth, organize their belongings, and pack their bag long before it’s time to depart.

Then they have time to do whatever they’d like until it’s time to leave the house.

I am one of those people.

Then there are the people who believe that if it takes 37 minutes to get ready to leave the house, they should begin that process exactly 37 minutes before the time of departure. These are people who make their preparations for departure the final things they do before departure.

You know the type. Maybe you are the type:

“Oh, we’re leaving in 30 minutes? I’d better go jump in the shower.”

“The party starts in 25 minutes. I just need to get dressed and wrap the present.”

“Don’t worry. Our reservations are at 7:00. I don’t need to get ready until 6:15.”

I may be wrong, but I feel like a majority of human beings fall into the latter category, and I don’t get it.

Why exist in a state of perpetual time pressure? Why constantly live on the edge of being late? Why make the final few moments in your home so stressful? Why operate with no buffer of time in the event that something goes wrong?

I think this latter type of person is a little crazy. They are perpetually unkind to themselves and their mental health. They add stress and strain to their life that is wholly avoidable. They opt for a harried and rushed existence when a more peaceful and relaxed alternative is available.

My children are people of the second type. Rather than getting ready for the day immediately, they postpone, prolong, and procrastinate, making those final moments before leaving for school filled with hustle, stress, and consternation.

I don’t get it.

I try to change their behavior.

I plead with them for a more rational, thoughtful, and reasonable approach.

I can’t bear to watch them race to a finish line that could’ve been reached long before.

I really don’t get it.