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As developed trying to finish a Phd with worsening cfs, and then doing Coursera courses with even worse cfs. I initially wrote this in response to a particular person then realised that in the meantime they'd dropped the class, making it unhelpful. So I guess advice part zero is: sometimes the smartest choice is not to write the essay at all. But if you're going to...

Just sit and type out whatever stream of consciousness thoughts come into your head. Make note of (a)any main ideas which seem good (b) anything you'd like to explore but need more info on. Take a moment to look at your draft and decide if you want to change anything about the overall structure/theme.

Then sit and slowly hit your head against each of the smaller parts. Research any holes. Turn each small idea into a complete paragraph/section. Don't worry about the bigger picture, or about being good.

Throw it all together. Do a rough read through to find any major errors or inconsistencies that jump out at you. Halfass an intro and conclusion by just smooshing together roughly one idea from each paragraph/section with some attempt at an overarching theme.

Once all that's done, consider trying to make it good. Accept it probably never will be.

Hand it in anyway and feel GODDAMN PROUD.

And if you can't do any of that, that's ok.