What a great thread!!!
When I was in school, it was really easy to get carried away. There is SO much to do-- that is, so many opportunities for fun, and then there's-- oh yeah-- SCHOOL. The reason I'm here
I found what worked best for me was to carry a dayplanner that broke out each month. I'd take colored pens and in RED I would write my school obligations and mandatory sorority obligations. I'd also put my work schedule in RED. RED letter items also included my campus involvement mandatories (I was a school newspaper editor and on the PR committee for the Campus Activities Board.)
The fun stuff-- socials, Panellenic meetings (where you could sit and watch and mingle with your Greek friends), watching intramurals, campus events, etc., I'd pencil in or use a lighter color.
I also committed myself to make sure that my "Red Letter" tasks were caught up before I could commit to anything else. It worked out really well.
Another method that I use now that I'm a working "grownup" is that at the end of my day, I make a to-do list for the following day. The next morning, I take out that list and I assign it a "letter grade"-- "A's" are top priorities, "B"s are important, but can wait, "C" s are the things that are always there (phones, email, etc..), and "D"s are small things that can pushed to the next day if I have to. It's a huge sense of accomplishment to go through the list. At the end of the day, some things might carry over, or I may finish everything. Depends on the day!
Set aside time for fun, but remember, you are in college to earn a degree! You have to summon the willpower to say "no" sometimes-- you don't have to be in 9 clubs and 5 honors classes, hold 3 parttime jobs and be the VP of Social in your GLO. Remember, "personal time" is also a "Red Letter" priority! Stick to a few things-- but remember that school and family come first. And that as a member of a GLO, you've got a weekly meeting and usually a semesterly service requirement.
So to summarize... stay organized by WRITING IT DOWN!