My First Million
The best business ideas come from noticing what's working and doing it better, faster, or for a different audience.
Setting ambitious, nearly impossible schedules results in faster actual execution than setting 'realistic' timelines
The Reasoning
Aggressive deadlines force teams to eliminate non-essential work, make faster decisions, and maintain urgency, while 'realistic' schedules invite scope creep and complacency
What Needs to Be True
- Teams respond to urgency by cutting scope rather than cutting quality
- Ambitious goals attract better talent who want meaningful challenges
- Time pressure forces better prioritization and decision-making
Counterargument
Unrealistic deadlines lead to burnout, technical debt, and poor quality that slows long-term progress
What Would Change This View
Data showing that teams with conservative schedules consistently outperform teams with stretch goals on complex projects
Implications for Builders
Set schedules that feel uncomfortably aggressive
Use deadline pressure to force hard prioritization decisions
Accept that you might miss timeline but will likely move faster than conservative approach
Communicate timeline philosophy to team to manage expectations
Example Application
“Boom targets first passenger flights in 2029 despite knowing it could take longer, because aggressive timeline forces faster decision-making and execution than 'realistic' 2032 target would.”
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