Firstly, I wanted to share with you all some of the organizational tools I've found.  If I've learned anything from the blogs I have read on preparing yourself for graduate school, it's this - organization is KEY!

I'm an avid participator in Pinterest. I think it's really great to be able to gather ideas and try things out, and you'd be surprised how many organizational tips there are. It's tremendously useful. I'll describe some of my personal favorites below that I've adapted for my own use. Now, let's get to it.

1) A Planner. Now personally, I've tried to go paperless with a planner app on my iPad, and if that works for you great. I'm all for not using a lot of paper, but I have found that I prefer having a hard copy planner. It doesn't matter brand to me. I've used lots of different kinds over the years. Recently, I purchased one from staples that I love because it has monthly space, weekly space, and each week it has a lined page for notes. This is particularly useful for the next thing that I suggest...Additionally, I color-coordinate things. It really helps me to, at-a-glance, get an idea of the different things that I have going on. Is it a meeting or appointment, work-related project, personal (workout, etc.), or related to classes? For classes, I try to have a different color for every class, if I can. As an undergraduate that would've been harder, because of the amount of classes you're taking , but in graduate school in the sciences it's more reasonable because the # of classes you take is so much less since you're spending more time in the lab. I'm not sure how other fields of graduate school work, but generally this is my understanding of how it is.  I use this planner diligently--writing every appointment, meeting, assignment, and test into it.

2) Weekly To-Do Lists. Now that you have a planner, at the beginning of every weekend, usually Saturday morning I make to-do lists on the notes page for the next 2 weeks in my planner. Why the next 2 weeks? This is mostly a habit I have been trying to get into before classes start, because do you really want to only look 1 week at a time to realize that you have a test on Tuesday (4 days away) that you have YET to study for? I don't think so. So, it's nice to know a couple week before hand that you have that coming up so that you can plan accordingly. Previously, when I was undergrad, I would write in my planner when it was 2 weeks before a test, and then 1 week, so a test would NEVER sneak up on me. If you would prefer, you could do things this way, instead of doing 2 to-do lists at a time.

3) Set-up a Command Center. So you've probably seen these all over Pinterest, and mostly I've seen them used for large families so that they can keep track of everyone's schedule. Well, I use one to keep me motivated, inspired, and organized.  My command center (pictured to the right) was built mostly using things I found at Target. It contains a lot of different components:

• Calendar - I keep a dry erase calendar up in my command center. It has very similar information as to what is in my planner, but it is nice when I'm at home to just have something that I can glance at and get a feel for what is going on that week/day/month.  I use the same color-coordination system that I use in my planner, so it's very easy to keep track of what activity goes with what!
• Cork board - A cork board is a must have, in my opinion, for tacking up little reminders, or for just keeping up motivational or inspiring things. I have my Vision Board tacked onto my cork board as my main focus (props to Celestina Chua and PE; http://personalexcellence.co/). I also have a general weekly schedule on my board, so I can try to stay on task and on-time to best manage my time.  
• Dry Erase Boards - I have a lot of dry erase boards in my command center. You can use them for whatever you like. I've seen many different options on pinterest--to-do lists, menu planners, grocery lists, vacation countdowns, etc. The sky is really the limit with what you can do with a dry-erase board, which is why I probably have so many! Me--I mostly use my dry-erase boards to write up inspirational quotes.  From what I've seen and heard, graduate school really can take a lot out of you. Even in my first two weeks, I've definitely had my moments where I've felt the pressures of the daily grind. I find having inspirational things around me is crucial when I'm at home and working on something.  So, I have a tons of quotes up--both on the green dry-erase board above my filing system and on the silver dry-erase board above my desk organizer. Inspirational quotes really keep me going.
• Filing System (see right) - A filing system is really important, because, let's face it, it's really stressful looking at a pile of papers that have accumulated on your desk. So, it's easiest to take those papers and put them into a file to handle them later. My filing system includes things like a receipts folder for things that I need to enter into my budget, a coupons folder, and a bills folder. As I get bills I write the due date into my calendar and place the hard copy in the folder so that it is accessible when it comes time for me to pay the bill.  
• Desk Organizer (see below)- This is really optional. I like having something on my desk that I can put all my frequently used pens and highlighters into.  As well as somewhere to put my notebooks and planner when I'm not using them. I think it helps make the desk appear cleaner and more open as well when you go to use it, but again, this is a very optional piece. Most desks have enough drawer space to accommodate organizers in drawers, but since my desk is more of a large working surface than a place with ample storage an organizer was a good option for me.  I also have a picture of a serene place I used to visit in the town I used to live in just because it helps zen me out, but again, also optional.

I've found many other useful tools online for keeping your time and your priorities organized. I've found success with Google Calendar, as well as a new tool that I found called WeekPlan. The Week Plan system is based off of Stephen Covey's weekly planner system that is described in his book 7 Habits of Highly Effective People (highly recommend this book, and "How to Win Friends and Influence People" By: Dale Carnegie). It's an interesting system, because it has you think of things less in terms of a list of tasks, but as breaking your life into categories and prioritizing your tasks based on those categories.  Just another thing to check out.