| Scotty, the engineer on the original Star Trek, had a very unique talent of being to fix anything in a given amount of time. Well, this is a little trick that Scotty liked to use: deception.
In actuality, Scotty always gave him plenty of time when asked for an estimate of how long something would take.
Example:
Captain Kirk says: Scotty, we need warp speed! When can you get the engine fixed?
Scotty says: Aye Capt'n, I can fix 'er up in possibly 8 hours, but that is pressing it sir!
Scotty thinks to himself: It's just a spring that's loose, I can fix it in 10 minutes.
Now the question arises, why does Scotty do this? Simple! Scotty looks good if he finishes his work under deadline. He comes off as the guy who knows the realistic time to finish something, but finishes it earlier. If he actually told them the time it would really take, and something were to go wrong -- he'd miss his own deadline, and that doesn't look good.
Think of this, and practice it at work. It'll make your life much easier. | 
