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Buffer Time

"Buffer time" means a gap built in between appointments — the ten minutes between a meeting and your next call, or the twenty minutes a gym needs to clean a court between sessions. PrimeCal handles buffer time in two ways depending on what you are doing: for resource bookings it is a formal configuration option; for your personal schedule it is something you manage by creating blocking events.

Buffer Time in Resource Bookings​

When you (or your organisation admin) sets up a bookable resource type — for example, a massage room, a meeting room, or a sports court — you can set a buffer time on that resource type. This is the number of minutes PrimeCal automatically adds after each booking before the next one can start.

For example, if a consultation room has a 30-minute booking duration and a 15-minute buffer, the booking page will never let two consecutive customers overlap: the room shows as unavailable for 15 minutes after each session ends.

Where to Configure Buffer Time​

Buffer time lives on the Resource Type, not on the individual resource. Admins and editors with the right permissions set it here:

  1. Go to Reservations in the sidebar.
  2. Open the Resource Types tab.
  3. Edit the resource type you want to adjust.
  4. Find the Buffer Time field (measured in minutes).
  5. Enter the number of minutes and save.

Once set, the public booking page and internal reservation calendar both respect this gap automatically — no manual coordination needed.

note

Accessing resource type settings requires the resource_management subscription feature and the Editor or Admin role within your organisation. If you do not see the Reservations section, check with your organisation admin.

Buffer Time for Personal Meetings​

PrimeCal does not have a setting called "buffer time" for regular calendar events. If you want a gap before or after a personal appointment or meeting, the practical approach is to create a short blocking event in your calendar to represent that time.

For example, if Will (will_blate) has a deep work session from 9–11 AM and needs 20 minutes to decompress before his next call, he creates a 20-minute "Buffer / prep" event at 11:00 AM. That block appears in the week view, signals to family members that he is not free yet, and makes the gap visible when anyone is checking his schedule.

Steps to Create a Personal Buffer Block​

  1. In week view, click on the time slot right after your meeting.
  2. Drag to select the buffer duration (e.g. 15–20 minutes).
  3. Name it something short: "Buffer", "Prep", "Travel", or "Wrap-up".
  4. Assign it to your personal calendar (it will show in your color).
  5. Save.

This approach works well for commute time, travel between locations, recovery after a long call, or any transition that needs protecting.

Example: Justin's Gym Court Scheduling​

Justin (justin_time) manages the "Late Gym" basketball court as a bookable resource for his team. He sets a 15-minute buffer time on the Court resource type. When Noah books the court from 5:00–6:00 PM, the next available slot on the public booking page starts at 6:15 PM, giving Justin time to reset the space between sessions. He does not need to manually block anything — PrimeCal handles it automatically.

Tips​

Buffer time applies per-resource type

If you have multiple resource types (e.g. Court A and Room B), each can have a different buffer time configured independently.

For personal gaps, keep buffer blocks short

A 10–15 minute block is usually enough to signal "I need a moment here." Long buffer blocks can make your calendar look more crowded than it really is.