The adage “underpromise and overdeliver” might be a good way to make clients happy, but it doesn’t seem like a recipe for doing great work.

There will naturally be uncertainty in any new project. “Underpromising” means sacrificing the timeline, budget, or scope to make sure you’re not wrong.

Ambitious projects almost always take longer, cost more, and are more challenging than expected. Setting aggressive targets often means you will outperform others, even if you fail to meet your projection.

A better framing might be “overpromise and overdeliver”.

one of the most difficult things in life is finding the right people to emulate to maximize value.  Whether it's idea flow or something like philosophy please take it seriously - your time and energy are your most valuable resource!