I am "worth my salt". I think so. But when I was asked for estimates, I told them a number, but only after I told them that that number is without foundation. I

I am "worth my salt". I think so. But when I was asked for estimates, I told them a number, but only after I told them that that number is without foundation. It is an estimate, a guess. At many clients / projects, it was taken as a guaranteed time, a deadline - despite my effort to explain that it is just a guess. And when things got bad, it was often used for blame. Because of this experience, since 2-3 years, I am fighting estimates unless I am in an environment where estimates are really only estimates.