Getting time commitments under control is undeniably an important skill for any student wishing to become organized. Learning to use a datebook is important in avoiding double-booking appointments or meetings. Datebooks are also useful for setting up study schedules and keeping track of due dates. For a very busy person, a datebook with one page per day is useful; you can plan your day hour by hour. Another time management skill is the ability to keep track of how much time you are spending on each task. Use a stopwatch or timer to make sure you move from one task to the next without spending too much time on each one.
Sometime, as a student, your desk can get completely swamped with pieces of paper, which makes it hard to use the desk effectively and also make it difficult to quickly find papers that you need. Sometimes, assignments or notes can even end up accidentally in the recycle bin. Using a hanging file box with one file for each subject and one for other important documents will help you clear the clutter. You won't need to bother with a hole puncher, as needed for binder use, so you will be more likely to file things away.
Learning to not procrastinate is not only important to getting assignments done on time, but also to getting organized. Each time you think about a task that is weighing on your mind, do that task immediately. The shorter your to-do list, the more organized you will feel. For material organization, use the same process---if you see something out of place, or if you have an item on your desk that needs attention, take care of it right away. This will help you keep your desk free from clutter and small tasks from building up.
If you are intimidated by all the organizing you need to do, whether it has to do with your desk, your workload or your extracurricular activities, make a plan of action before diving recklessly into the mess. Set aside half an hour to make a list of everything you need to do, and plan the order in which you need to accomplish the tasks. Divide tasks up by type. You can even filter your emails by subject so they are easier to attend to. Once the half hour is up, start with the first item on your list and work on it until it is done rather than jumping from item to item.