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 through a lens of neuroscience, behavioral psychology, and deep compassion.
You’ll learn systems that are teachable, sustainable, and immediately actionable.
No fluff. No hype. Just real strategies for getting things done, reducing stress, and showing up as the most capable version of yourself.
Episodes
142 episodes
142. Handling Work-From-Home Distractions, and Re-Evaluating Grad School (Q&A)
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...
141. The 2-Minute Rule: A Productivity Strategy That Really Works ... Until It Doesn’t
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 ...
140. The "Secret Code" to School + Work: Cracking the Unwritten Rules Nobody Talks About
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 yo...
139. The 5 Hardest Lessons I Learned as an Entrepreneur: A Peek Inside the Difficult, Honest Parts of My Business Journey
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.
138. Planning All Day Study Sessions, and Tips for Job-Hopping (Q&A)
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 worki...
137. How to Capture Your Ideas Before You Forget Them (Micro Strategy)
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 lyin...
136. Productivity Tools Are Useless (Unless You Do This...)
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...
135. The Effort Trick (That Gets You Everything You Want)
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....
134. Behind-the-Scenes of Real Student Coaching (Sneak Peek Access)
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 min...
133. Study Breaks and Finishing Projects Without Deadlines (Q&A)
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.Q...
132. The DO Date Hack that Makes DUE Dates Easy (Micro-Strategy)
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 ca...
131. Why We Know What to Do But Still Don't Do It
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 ...
130. How to Ask for Help in College – with Psychologist Dr. Susan VanScoyoc
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 psychologi...
129. Homework Management Tips + Starting Over as an Adult (Q&A)
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 homew...
128. ADHD and the Hidden Shame of Falling Off Track – And How to Start Again
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 wo...
127. 5 Invisible Forces That Make You Always Feel Behind
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...
126. Top 5 Secret Skills of Adulting (At Any Age)
“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 to...
125. Making Your Commute Productive and Leading When You're Unmotivated (Q&A)
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 ...
124. How to Meet Tight Deadlines (Without Losing Your Mind)
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...
123. 5 Steps for Applying for Scholarships – with Expert Dave Peterson
⭐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 misunders...
122. The Biggest Lie We Tell Struggling Students: Why Studying MORE Isn't the Answer
⭐FREE Parent Training: How to Help Your Teen Handle School Like a ProMost struggling students are in t...
121. Frustration Tolerance: What It Is, Why It Matters, and How to Build It
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 wo...
120. Note-Taking During Phone Calls, ADHD Accommodations at Work and School, and Supporting College Students (Q&A)
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...
119. My Top 10 Favorite Tools for Productivity and Organization
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 ...
118. The Real Reason for Test Anxiety — And Why It Has Nothing to Do With Nerves
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...
