Learn and Work Smarter
Whether you're a student or a working professional, the Learn and Work Smarter Podcast delivers the clarity, strategies, and encouragement you need to stay focused, organized, and on top of your tasks. Hosted by Katie Azevedo, M.Ed.—a private executive function coach with 20 years of teaching experience and a deep background in ADHD and cognitive science—this show is your practical guide to building the real-life skills that school and work demand but rarely teach.Episodes cover a range of topics, including time management, productivity, studying smarter, focus strategies, task initiation, and executive function habits. Each topic is approached throu...
143. 3 Power Moves of Productive People
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Productive people aren't productive by accident. Their ability to get the right things done on time – without burning out – is a result of a few particular actions they take every day.
In this quick, strategy-packed episode of the Learn and Work Smarter podcast, I share three productive power moves of people who get things done.
The power moves are for students and professionals, and anyone who's sick of feeling busy at the end of the day but knows deep down they didn't spend time on the right things.
...
142. Handling Work-From-Home Distractions, and Re-Evaluating Grad School (Q&A)
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Losing focus midweek when working from home? Debating whether changing grad programs is worth it?
In this Q&A episode of the podcast, I answer two questions submitted by listeners of the show.
Question 1: A listener asks for strategies to maintain their focus when working from home, especially during the second half of the week.
Question 2: A listener, who's a working professional and a graduate student, wonders if they should change their grad program to match their new career interests.
Q&A epi...
141. The 2-Minute Rule: A Productivity Strategy That Really Works ... Until It Doesn’t
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The Two-Minute Rule is a popular productivity strategy that's been around since the early 2000s. It can be a terrific tool for feeling less overwhelmed, moving your to-do list forward, and generally feeling more in control of school, work, and your personal life.
However, using the Two-Minute Rule in the wrong scenario can make things worse than when you started.
In this episode of the Learn and Work Smarter Podcast, I explain what this powerful productivity tool is, when to use it, and most...
140. The "Secret Code" to School + Work: Cracking the Unwritten Rules Nobody Talks About
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Like it or not, there’s a “secret code” for how to act and what to say at school and work—and not knowing it can cost you opportunities and your reputation.
Saying the right thing at meetings, responding to emails the way others expect you to, understanding how to read the room ... all of these are part of the "secret code" nobody talks about.
In this episode of the Learn and Work Smarter podcast, I’m sharing the truth about the “secret code” that successful students and professionals know. The first s...
139. The 5 Hardest Lessons I Learned as an Entrepreneur: A Peek Inside the Difficult, Honest Parts of My Business Journey
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Starting my own business out of absolutely nothing has been the single greatest professional accomplishment of my life. Every single day, I think about where I started and where I am now — and the journey continues to amaze me.
However, it hasn’t been easy. For every breakthrough, new successful idea, and client success story, there has been a lesson that tried to knock me down.
In this episode of the Learn and Work Smarter podcast, I share publicly — for the first time ever — th...
138. Planning All Day Study Sessions, and Tips for Job-Hopping (Q&A)
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Studying for 12 hours a day? Being a serial job-quitter?
In this Q&A episode of the Learn and Work Smarter Podcast, I answer two questions submitted by listeners of the show.
Question 1: A busy graduate student (who's also working full time) asks me for strategies for planning epic, all-day study sessions.
Question 2: A working professional asks for advice about his job-hopping tendencies, after having had four jobs in five years.
What You Learn:
My advice for managing a full-time job and graduate sch...137. How to Capture Your Ideas Before You Forget Them (Micro Strategy)
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Ideas are only good if we remember them, am I right? Right. So why do we keep telling ourselves that we’ll remember something “later” when we never do?
The idea that occurred to us in the shower? Gone.The thought we had lying in bed? Gone.The task we want to do later? Gone.In this micro strategy episode, I share a nifty little hack for how to capture these ideas when they occur to you (which is always when you don’t have a pen handy), and what to do with the...
136. Productivity Tools Are Useless (Unless You Do This...)
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Productivity tools come with big promises. Planners, apps, devices, software…they can all genuinely help you get things done – and they claim to do so.
BUT, the tool itself never gets you the outcome you want. I know, the irony.
In this week's episode of the Learn and Work Smarter podcast, I reveal why productivity tools are useless (yes, even the ones I love and recommend), and the mistake I see students and professionals make when they place all their hope in a shiny n...
135. The Effort Trick (That Gets You Everything You Want)
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Don’t get me wrong – goals are awesome to have. They can inspire hope and dreams and cool visions we have for our futures.
But focusing on the outcome we want (aka our goal) never gets us the outcome we want. I know, the irony.
In this week’s episode of the Learn and Work Smarter podcast, I reveal why outcome-based goals are designed to make us fail, and the mistake I see students and professionals make when they set these kinds of goals.
134. Behind-the-Scenes of Real Student Coaching (Sneak Peek Access)
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Come peek behind the curtain of SchoolHabits University! Every month inside my signature study skills program, I offer live coaching on Zoom so student never get stuck navigating the program, school, their courses, or anything else on their minds.
In this special episode of the Learn and Work Smarter podcast, I’m sharing a Q&A call from a few months back when the calls weren’t live. (Since then, they're all live!) Listen in as I answer a ton of questions that students submitted in advance.
Want me to answ...
133. Study Breaks and Finishing Projects Without Deadlines (Q&A)
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In this Q&A episode of the Learn and Work Smarter podcast, I answer two questions submitted by listeners of the show.
Question One: A student asks for study break ideas that will increase his focus when he returns to the work.
Question Two: A professional asks for strategies for completing projects that don’t have deadlines, but that are still important to finish.
What You Learn:
Practical study break ideas for 5, 15 and 30-minute breaksThe one kind of activity that is the WORST to do du...132. The DO Date Hack that Makes DUE Dates Easy (Micro-Strategy)
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Most people focus on due dates -- as in, this final deadline. But the due date of a project has nothing to do with you actually getting it done.
Enter the DO date.
In this episode of the Learn and Work Smarter podcast, I make the case that focusing on DO dates is far more effective than wasting our energy stressing about DUE dates. In fact, DO dates make DUE dates just ... happen.
What You Learn:
Why focusing on deadlines is the wrong approachWhat exa...131. Why We Know What to Do But Still Don't Do It
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It’s one thing to know what to do, but it’s a whole other thing to actually DO it.
This is a struggle that so many of my private clients – students and professionals – deal with. They have the information, they’ve been instructed on what to do … and yet, they still aren’t taking action.
For people with ADHD, this phenomenon is even worse.
There’s a reason why this is happening, and it might not be what you expect.
What You'll Learn:
The reason yo...130. How to Ask for Help in College – with Psychologist Dr. Susan VanScoyoc
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College can make students feel all kinds of ways: thrilled at the freedom, excited at the possibilities, and overwhelmed with the independence that's suddenly expected of them.
In my conversation with board-certified psychologist Dr. Susan VanScoyoc, we talk about how to ask for help when college gets hard — and why most students (and their parents) are getting this wrong.
Dr. VanScoyoc is the founder of Campus Confidant, where she helps families navigate the emotional and practical challenges of the college years. Her core messa...
129. Homework Management Tips + Starting Over as an Adult (Q&A)
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In this Q&A episode of the Learn and Work Smarter podcast, I answer two questions submitted by listeners of the show.
Question One: A high school student asks for tips for actually doing the work he has tracked in his homework management system.
Question Two: A young woman asks for advice about moving into adulthood when she was under-resourced as a child.
What You'll Learn:
Why tracking your tasks and managing your tasks are two...128. ADHD and the Hidden Shame of Falling Off Track – And How to Start Again
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People with ADHD know this situation all too well: they start a project with enthusiasm, then lose motivation and stop halfway through, and then struggle to ever restart because of the shame and embarrassment they feel about abandoning their work.
Stopping projects halfway through is hard enough. But then not knowing how to get back on track and drowning in shame is a whole other experience.
That’s what we’re covering in this episode of the Learn and Work Smarter podcast. We talk abo...
127. 5 Invisible Forces That Make You Always Feel Behind
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You know that feeling when you’re super busy, you have a million things to do … but you still feel behind and like you got nothing done at the end of the day?
It’s not your imagination.
In this episode of the Learn and Work Smarter podcast, I reveal the 5 secret (and oh so sneaky!) invisible forces that destroy productivity and keep you running on a to-do-list treadmill to nowhere.
What You'll Learn:
126. Top 5 Secret Skills of Adulting (At Any Age)
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“Adulting” has nothing to do with age. Instead, it has to do with the ability to operate independently and function in a way that supports your goals.
In this episode of the Learn and Work Smarter podcast, I reveal the top 5 secret skills of adulting that, when they’re mastered, make everything else about school and work (and life) so much easier and less dramatic.
This episode is for all ages … even if you’re already a 100-year-old adult 😉
What You'll...
125. Making Your Commute Productive and Leading When You're Unmotivated (Q&A)
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In this monthly Q&A episode, I answer two questions submitted by listeners of the show.
Question 1: How can I make my commute to and from work more productive?
Question 2: How can I be an effective leader when I’m burned out and unmotivated?
What You'll Learn:
A unique commute strategy that can clear your head, increase your clarity, and improve your productivityA counterintuitive way to use your drive time to get ahead on work or school witho...124. How to Meet Tight Deadlines (Without Losing Your Mind)
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Deadlines don't care how overwhelmed you feel. Tight deadlines? Those require a completely different approach — more urgency, more intensity, and a clear plan for execution.
In this episode of the Learn and Work Smarter Podcast, I break down six strategies for meeting tight deadlines without losing your mind. Part one covers three pre-work strategies that take maybe 10 minutes total. Part two covers three execution strategies to actually get the dang thing done.
What You'll Learn:
Why clarity on your deliverable is the most criti...123. 5 Steps for Applying for Scholarships – with Expert Dave Peterson
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⭐Get the Scholarship Summer Camp + Note-Taking Power System Bundle right here: https://www.scholarshipgps.com/katie (you get my whole note-taking course for free!)
It’s a common misunderstanding that scholarships are only for graduating students headed right to college. In fact, students of all ages can and should apply for scholarship money as soon as possible.
In this episode of the Learn and Work Smarter Podcast, I talk with Dave Peterson of Scholarship GPS. Dave is a scholarship expert who shares with us his awesome 5-step p...
122. The Biggest Lie We Tell Struggling Students: Why Studying MORE Isn't the Answer
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⭐FREE Parent Training: How to Help Your Teen Handle School Like a Pro
Most struggling students are in the situation they’re in because no one ever taught them how to actually DO school. We expect them to learn, but nobody ever teaches them HOW.
Therefore, the "just study more" might be the most well-meaning, unhelpful advice we keep giving them.
In this episode of the Learn and Work Smarter podcast, I break down exactly why the study harder message misses the mar...
121. Frustration Tolerance: What It Is, Why It Matters, and How to Build It
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Frustration tolerance is one's ability to sustain attention, endurance and emotional composure during frustrating tasks.
While we all get frustrated from time to time, having a low frustration tolerance can have a serious impact on our work, school and personal lives.
In this episode of the Learn and Work Smarter podcast, I dive deep into frustration tolerance, its connection to ADHD, and how to improve your own frustration tolerance level so you can achieve your goals with less drama.
What You Learn:
What frustration tol...120. Note-Taking During Phone Calls, ADHD Accommodations at Work and School, and Supporting College Students (Q&A)
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In this Q&A episode of the Learn and Work Smarter podcast, I answer three questions submitted by listeners of the show.
Question 1: How to take notes during phone calls.
Question 2: How to support a struggling college student
Question 3: How to ask for ADHD accommodations (in graduate school and work)
What You Learn:
Why capturing notes is only half the job, and what the more important second step actually isA simple pre-call habit that makes note-taking sig...119. My Top 10 Favorite Tools for Productivity and Organization
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The work we do is more important than the tools we use. But that said, having the right tools can make a difference in how productive and organized we are.
In this episode of the Learn and Work Smarter podcast, I’m sharing with you my 10 favorite tools that I use nearly every single day to manage a busy business, family and life.
No affiliate links or promotions here … just an honest peek behind the curtain of what’s on my desk and on my computer (oh, and on my nightst...
118. The Real Reason for Test Anxiety — And Why It Has Nothing to Do With Nerves
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Sweaty palms. Racing breath. A pit in your stomach. And the worst one of all, a blank mind.
Test anxiety does not feel good, and it most certainly doesn’t help your grades. But in this episode of the Learn and Work Smarter podcast, I make the (controversial?) case that test anxiety is the result of something you have complete control over.
What You Learn:
The most common misunderstandings about test anxietyWhat people THINK causes test anxietyWhy there’s no such thing as a bad test takerTh...117. Building a Personal Operating System to Manage Information
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The way I teach it, a personal operating system is a set of systems and routines we use to manage the information that comes at us all day long.
Whether we're students or professionals, we're constantly bombarded with information we can ignore, information about tasks we need to act on, and information we might need in the future.
And if we don't have a way to capture, track, and manage these bits of info during the day, we become overwhelmed, stressed out, and forgetful.
That's why we nee...
116. Understanding What You Read and How to Know If You're Performing Well at Work (Q&A)
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You're putting in the work. You're doing the readings. You're showing up. So why does it still feel like you're missing the mark?
In this month's Q&A episode, I'm answering two listener questions that are completely different on the surface, but have the same root issue.
Question One is from a grad student who's annotating and highlighting every reading but still feels lost in class discussions
Question Two is from someone two years into their first corporate job...
115. How to Be Dangerous at School and Work (10 Traits of People Who Are Hard to Overwhelm)
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The most dangerous people in school and work aren't always the smartest in the room or the ones grinding the hardest. They're the ones who are steady, focused, and nearly impossible to knock off course.
In this episode of the Learn and Work Smarter podcast, I'm sharing 10 characteristics of people who are hard to overwhelm — and spoiler: underneath all 10 of them are really just four foundational concepts: how we manage our attention, whether we finish what we start, keeping our word, and acting from our values instead of our moods.
Thi...
114. Working Late AGAIN? 5 Reasons Why You're Still at the Office that Have Nothing to Do With Workload
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It's 5 PM, everyone is leaving the office, but you’re staring at your to-do list thinking, “Oh my gosh, I’m going to be here all night.”
When we regularly can’t get our work done within typical office hours, we’re quick to think it’s because we have too much work. And while that might sometimes be the case, usually there’s another reason (or 5) at play.
In this episode of the Learn and Work Smarter podcast, I share the top 5 reasons you can never leave the office on time and...
113. The 6-System Ecosystem for School and Work (And Why Working Harder Isn't Enough)
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Struggling to perform in school or work is rarely the result of just one missing skill. Sure, your procrastination tendencies might have to do with poor time management skills, but that's not the full picture.
Academic and professional success is the result of having a functioning ECOSYSTEM of skills that not only work by themselves but also interlock together.
In other words, if even just one skill is weak or missing, the whole ecosystem collapses in on itself.
There are 6 core systems to a healthy productivity ecosystem, and...
112. Office Transition Strategies and the Power of Color in Study Methods(Q&A)
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In this monthly Q&A episode of the Learn and Work Smarter podcast, I answer two questions submitted by listeners of the show.
Question 1: A working professional asks for tips as he transitions back to in-person office work after years of working from home.
Question 2: A student asks about the benefits of using color (specifically colored index cards) in his study methods.
What You Learn:
The reality of returning to office work, and why trying to recreate your home setup is...111. What to Do When You Don't Like Your Boss or Teacher
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ALL relationships are hard. But the hardest ones are those we can't avoid, like at school and work.
In this episode of the Learn and Work Smarter podcast, we dive into the reality that sometimes we don't like our boss or our teacher. Whether it's a personality clash or differences in communication, sometimes people just aren't compatible.
But what do we do when we don't like our boss or teacher? We can't avoid them or ignore them... that just makes things worse...so, again, what do we do?
Do...
110. How to Think: Why It's Hard, Why It Matters, and How to Do It in an AI World
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Thinking is supposed to be hard. It's supposed to be messy and fragmented and dead-endy. It's supposed to make us feel vulnerable and like we don't know the answer, the solution, or the idea.
That's the nature of thinking. It's SUPPOSED to be that way.
But more than ever, I see students and professionals quit the thinking process before they've even begun it. They outsource their thinking to AI, falling victim to the ridiculous idea that a faster answer is better than the one you came up with yourself.
<...109. Work-Life Balance Is a Lie: 3 Better, Way More Practical Ways to Think About Balance
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Everyone says you need balance. But what if the entire concept of “balance” is nonsense in the first place?
In this episode of the Learn and Work Smarter podcast, I break down why traditional work-life balance theory doesn't work, and more importantly, what you should do instead. Specifically, I'm giving you three practical frameworks that are way more realistic than trying to give equal time and attention to everything, every single day.
What You Learn:
The four fundamental problems with traditional balance that make it impossible to achi...108. Three Things You’re Overcomplicating About Getting Things Done (That Should Be Simple)
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We tend to make things way more complicated than they need to be. And honestly? It's because thinking and planning feels easier than actually sitting down and doing the thing.
In this episode of the Learn and Work Smarter podcast, I reveal the three areas that we tend to WAY overcomplicate more than anything else. And when we do, we prevent ourselves from taking action on what matters.
What You Learn:
How overthinking and overfeeling keep you paralyzed, and the straightforward framework for making decisions and mov...107. Simplifying Multi-Client Task Management and Managing Afternoon Energy Slumps (Q&A)
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In this monthly Q&A, I answer two questions submitted by listeners of the show. While the questions are different in their details, the fundamental theme of today’s show is consistent: the key to learning and working smarter is knowing what’s in our control and what’s not, and optimizing everything we have the power to change.
What You Learn:
The real reason juggling multiple client systems creates admin chaos - plus a three-part system to regain controlWhy task inboxes and task management systems aren't the same thin...106. The Anti-Goal Goal-Setting Strategy: 3 Tweaks That Change Everything
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Most people set goals completely wrong. They focus on outcomes they can't control, ignore their real schedules and energy levels, and wait for January 1st like it's some magical reset button. Then they wonder why they quit by February.
In this episode, I'm showing you a different approach: the anti-goal goal-setting strategy. This isn't about avoiding goals altogether. Instead, it's about setting them in a way that’s realistic.
I'm breaking down the three biggest mistakes people make when setting goals (whether it's New Year's resolutions or any other time...
105. The High Performer's Trap: Why Being Capable is Exhausting You
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Are you someone who says yes because you can see exactly how to make it happen? Do people come to you because they know you'll deliver? And are you so darn exhausted because of it?
In this episode, I'm diving into the high performer's trap, a pattern where your competence becomes the primary reason you say yes to everything. The better you get at something, the more people ask you to do it. And because you're capable and can envision the path forward, you say yes…
… Until eventually you can't s...
104. 3 Reasons Your Study Methods Stopped Working (And How to Fix Them)
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You had a study system that worked perfectly. Then suddenly... it didn't. What happened?
In this episode, I'm breaking down the #1 reason why legitimate study systems stop working: developmental transitions. Whether you're moving from high school to college, freshman to upper-level courses, or undergrad to grad school, the academic demands don't just get harder…they fundamentally change.
I'm walking you through the three major shifts that happen at every academic transition. Then I'm giving you three concrete strategies to level up your study methods so they match where you are n...
