[comic] The Planning Fallacy: Why We're Terrible at Setting Realistic Deadlines

Setting realistic deadlines proves challenging due to our consistent underestimation of task completion times, despite past experiences. Unrealistic deadlines generate unnecessary stress and harm trust with peers. To mitigate these risks, five strategies enhance our ability to estimate project timelines effectively. - Break down tasks into smaller parts and estimate each individually. - Add buffer time to schedules, expecting to use only a fraction of the available time. - Use historical data from similar tasks to inform current estimations. - Reduce the scope of projects, prioritizing quality over quantity. - Communicate obstacles early and often if challenges arise.