Do you ever feel like you have to choose between getting good grades and having a social life? At the risk of sounding like an infomercial – you can! Balancing all the things you want to do with the things you have to do can be difficult. But all it takes is a few simple adjustments to your routine and you’ll be having the time of your life and doing great academically in no time. Here are some foolproof tips to have the best of both words – good grades and tons of fun.

1) Turn your work into play. You know your pile of homework is gigantic and it needs to be a top priority, but all you really want to do is hang out with friends. Study groups are the perfect solution! Invite a few of your most studious buddies over for popcorn and flashcards, and it’s sure to be a productive yet entertaining weeknight.

2) Turn off the Facebook games and start the homework game! No, really. Homework is so much more worthwhile when you enjoy what you are learning. One way to spice things up is by turning your homework into something fun. Making flashcards? Once you master that vocabulary word decorate the flashcard with stickers! Glitter and glue aren’t your cup of tea? Find an online jeopardy game and discover a new way to test what you’ve learned.

3) Create a balance in your life and stick to it. Wouldn’t you like to have a stress-free weekend without having to worry about an upcoming paper? Or perhaps you really do like saving it all for Sunday night until those 100 pages of reading have you bunkered in the library. Whatever your preference, keep it consistent. If the weekend free of worries sounds good to you, set aside an extra hour on Wednesday and Thursday night getting homework done for Monday. Then you’ll be free to spend the entire weekend how you choose until class rolls around again.

4) To-do lists can be your best friend. One strategy for balancing homework and fun is making a detailed to-do list each morning. Include everything that absolutely needs to be done before the next day, and then add another section for things that aren’t as immediate, yet still important. Don’t quit for the day until you’ve got the first part of your list completed and crossed off! If you still have motivation and energy left, completing more things on your list will only make life easier. On the other hand, if you’ve got everything done for the next day and you don’t feel like you can read another page, take the rest of the night off and enjoy your free time – you deserve it!

In the end, remember that you’re in college for a reason – to get a good education. If doing that means you can’t hit up IHOP or Margarita Monday with your friends, tough luck. You’ll have plenty of time to do that stuff on the weekends.