I like your idea about constant deadlines, but I'd add a twist. In a novel writing course I'm attending, I know what I want my character to say as her last line

I like your idea about constant deadlines, but I'd add a twist. In a novel writing course I'm attending, I know what I want my character to say as her last line, so I build the dialogue backwards starting from that. I should do the same with a deadline: estimate what is to be delivered on that date, backwards. This could be a good method for reaching a consensus on scope with customers, and they would understand that meeting the deadline is a given.