I think it's worth the time to spend a little while with an IDE that PEP-8 checks your code in real-time. It really forces you to think about better formatting

I think it's worth the time to spend a little while with an IDE that PEP-8 checks your code in real-time. It really forces you to think about better formatting and breaking up complex statements. In your example, if my declaration is running that long, I put the first line break after the open-parenthesis. Then all parameters end up in a nice block, and I've found that to be very easy on the eyes when going back to look at forgotten code. Generally speaking, I've found that adhering to the 80-char limit has greatly improved my code formatting and readability. 100 is okay with me too, though.