We all make promises. Some of us keep all of them and some of us break them quite often. Promises are an important part of human nature and are the foundation of trust. You start by making promises and keeping them to the point you don't have to. But putting most of your effort on structuring the promise, be it unrealistic or not, is not the best option either, so here's a different strategy.
Instead of focusing your efforts on the promise and time-lines associated with it and what not, try focusing on delivering on them. Soon you'll realize that its the delivery that counts the most, not the promise. Perhaps delivering on a twisted version of the promise might not work either, but something is always better than nothing. Under-promise and over-deliver.
