Hey! If you're starting the IB soon and wondering when to get serious about your IAs and EE, here's what I'd say based on my own experience. For IAs, your teachers usually have their own timelines that fit the way they teach their course, so definitely ask them first – they'll guide you through it. Start thinking about your topic as early as you can though. Just getting ideas down helps later when deadlines start stacking up.
As for drafts, there's no perfect number. I think teachers are only allowed to give feedback a limited number of times (like once or twice), so make sure you give them your best possible version when you do submit. That way, the feedback actually helps and isn't wasted.
For managing everything, especially if you're not great at time management (I wasn't), it helps to get organized in a way that works for you. I used a planner app to track deadlines and plan out when I'd work on stuff – early mornings, late nights, whatever worked best. Try breaking things into smaller steps and be realistic about how long things actually take. It takes time to get good at this, but trust me, once you do, it'll help in every part of life, not just IB.
Oh, and check out my FAQ on time management for more tips. You got this!