If you ever become bored by using :b[N]<CR> to switch to the N-th buffer, try this: [N]C-^ in normal mode.
<C-^> cannot only switch to the previous buffer, but also to all the other buffers, if you prefix the command with the buffer number. For example, instead of using :b1<CR> to switch to the first buffer, you can use 1<C-^> and save a lot of effort and frustration :-)
Happy Hacking!