I would say just do it. I actually put my high school graduation on the line by not doing an essay until the last possible moment. 45 minutes and I had an "A" essay according to the teacher.Yeah, it's bring and beneath you (That's how I felt) but something is better than nothing because it is not according to your guidelines.
DreamEternal: to avoid heavy confrontations, a roommate and I did the following: we identified that we were in an argument, we started fifteen minutes each to present our sides, and then repeated until we both felt we "presented" our case. We did not do anything else because "convincing" happens outside of the argument, so we just accommodated the presentation of our views and left it at that. Something similar may help with your disputations with your brother.
Pestis: Do what you can. You have to accomplish step 1 before you do step 2.