I've worked in higher education for decades. I tend to consult on projects that take a year or more to implement.

All of the work gets done in the last three weeks. Every school. Every time.

So true. Every grant application are literally submitted on the last day. Every grant report are written on or after the last day. Every conference paper are submitted on the last day. Every peer review are submitted on or after the deadline.

I only get something done when I'm doing it to procrastinate doing something more important. It can be a viable system most of the time...