Final answer:
Procrastination is the action of delaying tasks until the last minute, often contributing to stress and potential academic dishonesty. Effective time management and communication with professors can mitigate the consequences of this behavior.
Step-by-step explanation:
The term procrastination refers to the action of delaying or postponing tasks to a later time, typically as a habitual or intentional delay of starting or finishing a task despite knowing it might have negative consequences. It often happens when there's a lack of motivation or fear of failure, resulting in tasks piling up until the last minute.
For example, let's take Allen, who is scrambling to finish all of his projects. This would be considered procrastination because he has delayed his work and is now in a rush to complete it, as opposed to Amy who planned ahead and finished everything early.
In an academic setting, procrastination can lead students to a point where they may consider academic dishonesty, such as plagiarism, due to lack of time. It's better to communicate with professors for extensions rather than resorting to dishonest methods.