“I Bet Writing an Essay is Easy”

By Mirza Fazle Fattan Muhammad

“I’m screwed. My essay assignment is due tomorrow… WHY DIDN’T I START WORKING ON
THIS SOONER!?” That was me a month ago. As the due dates approached, I felt no sense of
urgency. Even though I’d been given 3 months, I only started working on it when the due
date was around the corner. It’s fair to say that I underestimated the effort it would take to
complete the essay. “Writing an essay can’t be that hard,” I thought then. But reality isn’t
that sweet. When I finally started working on my essay, oh man, doesn’t it make me
overwhelmed?
My underestimation of the task was due to the planning fallacy. It is a common bias that
leads us to underestimate the time and resources required to complete a task. In my case, it
was writing an essay. I thought it would be a simple process of putting my thoughts on
paper. However, the task proved to be much more than that. Why do I think that writing an
essay is easy in the first place? Ughh.
As I dug even deeper, I discovered that the planning fallacy is prompted by our overall bias
towards optimism, especially concerning our abilities. This bias results in us
overestimating our abilities while underestimating the challenge ahead. But in my case,
especially, my optimism arises because of my time chatting with my friend. When I texted
my friend, I often brought up famous people and their work. Sometimes to motivate them.
Other times to argue against them. At times because it was too good to be left unshared.
Though I’d only done it when we texted, it’s kind of amazing how I did it so frequently. This
might be the cause as to why I am overly optimistic about writing an actual essay.
However, spouting my thoughts to a friend is very different from writing an actual essay. As
I started to work on this essay, I discovered that a proper essay is a lot more than that. It
needs a clear structure and well-organized thoughts. The words used should be easy to
understand and flow nicely. The essay should also help the reader connect with the writer’s
perspective before diving into the main topic. Writing an essay is in no way the same as
simply sharing stuff with my friend.
Haha, this realization came too late. Now that the due date is up, I can no longer turn in my
essay assignment. But, in a way, this insight comes right on time—too early, even. I could’ve
gotten it way later or never at all. Having recognized my tendency towards the planning
fallacy, I identified two key strategies to overcome it.
First of all, I needed to get started as soon as possible. I don’t need to think about how long
I will work on it, the point is just to get started, even if it’s just for a minute. The planning
fallacy comes into play when I overestimate my abilities and underestimate the challenge.
By simply starting, I could get a clearer estimate of my abilities and the difficulty of the
challenge I’m facing. As I attempted to write this essay, I discovered that I wasn’t as skilled
as I thought, and the task was far from easy. But that’s the point of getting started—to
understand my capabilities.
After getting a clearer estimate of the challenge, I knew it was time to plan and execute
accordingly. Daydreaming about the end product wasn’t going to get me anywhere. What
mattered was: ‘Have I worked on my task today?’ So, I started setting aside time each day to
work on it. I learned to overestimate the time it would take to complete the task—it’s
better than underestimating it. There’s always room for improvement.
In this journey of self-discovery, I came to realize that life isn’t a race to the finish line; it’s a
journey that requires careful planning and execution. This realization didn’t just change
how I approach essay writing; it altered my perspective on tackling any task in life. I
learned the importance of not underestimating the effort a task requires and the value of
getting started early. This experience taught me to respect the process and give myself
plenty of time to complete each task, whether it’s a simple daily chore or a complex
academic assignment.
Looking back, I understand that my previous approach was flawed. But without
experiencing that struggle, I wouldn’t have had this crucial realization. And though I may
still fall prey to the planning fallacy from time to time, I’m now equipped with the
knowledge and strategies to overcome it. This experience has been a stepping stone in my
personal growth and development journey, and I look forward to the lessons yet to come.