Learn and Work Smarter

Katie Azevedo

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.

  1. 125. Making Your Commute Productive and Leading When You're Unmotivated (Q&A)

    21H AGO

    125. Making Your Commute Productive and Leading When You're Unmotivated (Q&A)

    Send me a message!🤓 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 without touching your phoneWhy curating your commute playlist isn't just "listening to music" — and how to do it with intentionThe real reason your team loses motivation (hint: it has nothing to do with your own motivation level)What effective leadership requires on low-motivation days — and what’s not a factor at all (most people mix up these two) 🔗 Resources Mentioned: ⭐SchoolHabits University (SchoolHabitsUniversity.com)⭐Note-Taking Power System (NoteTakingSystem.com)⭐Assignment Management Power System (AssignmentManagementSystem.com)⭐FREE Parent Training: How to Help Your Teen Handle School Like a ProEpisode website (https://www.learnandworksmarter.com/podcast/125)Submit a question to the showEpisode 4: What to Do When You're Overwhelmed Episode 110: How to ThinkFree weekly planner (FREE DOWNLOAD) ❤️ Connect: InstagramFacebookPinterestSubscribe on YouTube Got your own burning question you'd like me to answer on a future episode? AWESOME! You can submit your questions via the form on my homepage right here. Please follow the show and leave a review if what you hear is helpful. Doing so helps me more than you'll ever know. Thank you!! LET'S CONNECT Sign up for my (pretty darn good) newsletter that I very craftily named ReportCard. For hundreds of tutorials featuring tips on studying, productivity, organization, learning, time management and more, head to my blog: SchoolHabits.com.

    32 min
  2. 124. How to Meet Tight Deadlines (Without Losing Your Mind)

    APR 30

    124. How to Meet Tight Deadlines (Without Losing Your Mind)

    Send me a message!🤓 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 critical first step — and what happens when you skip itHow to make time visible (time is math, not a feeling) and schedule work into real, specific slotsThe three options when the math doesn't math and you don't have enough time to meet your deadlineWhy setup and starting are one combined step, and what that looks like in practiceHow to work in contained chunks with specificity so you're not wasting precious minutes deciding what to do5 micro strategies for locking in🔗 Resources Mentioned: ⭐SchoolHabits University (SchoolHabitsUniversity.com)⭐Note-Taking Power System (NoteTakingSystem.com)⭐Assignment Management Power System (AssignmentManagementSystem.com)⭐FREE Parent Training: How to Help Your Teen Handle School Like a ProEpisode website (https://www.learnandworksmarter.com/podcast/124)Episode 80: How to Do a Work SprintPomodoro Technique Alternatives (video)Free weekly planner (FREE DOWNLOAD)❤️ Connect: InstagramFacebookPinterestSubscribe on YouTube Got your own burning question you'd like me to answer on a future episode? AWESOME! You can submit your questions via the form on my homepage right here. Please follow the show and leave a review if what you hear is helpful. Doing so helps me more than you'll ever know. Thank you!! LET'S CONNECT Sign up for my (pretty darn good) newsletter that I very craftily named ReportCard. For hundreds of tutorials featuring tips on studying, productivity, organization, learning, time management and more, head to my blog: SchoolHabits.com.

    28 min
  3. 123. 5 Steps for Applying for Scholarships – with Expert Dave Peterson

    APR 23

    123. 5 Steps for Applying for Scholarships – with Expert Dave Peterson

    Send me a message!🤓 ⭐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 process for simplifying the scholarship application process and getting students the money they deserve. Plus, Dave and I team up to offer students the coolest bundle ever: enroll in his Scholarship Summer Camp (6-week program starting in June) and get my Note-Taking Power System for free! Grab that here. (https://www.scholarshipgps.com/katie) What You'll Learn: Why summer is actually the best time to apply for scholarships (and it's not just for seniors)The 5-step process that makes applying for scholarships (and winning them!) easier than you can imagineWhat happens to scholarship money if your kid wins before they're ready for collegeThe #1 reason most scholarship applications get rejected before anyone even reads the essayWhy a strong GPA is not a requirement for winning — and what matters more🔗 Resources Mentioned: ⭐SchoolHabits University (SchoolHabitsUniversity.com)⭐Note-Taking Power System (NoteTakingSystem.com)⭐Assignment Management Power System (AssignmentManagementSystem.com)⭐FREE Parent Training: How to Help Your Teen Handle School Like a ProEpisode website (https://www.learnandworksmarter.com/podcast/123)Episode 75: How to Pay for College with Scholarships - with 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!)Dave’s free list of scholarship websites: Download for free❤️ Connect: Instagram Got your own burning question you'd like me to answer on a future episode? AWESOME! You can submit your questions via the form on my homepage right here. Please follow the show and leave a review if what you hear is helpful. Doing so helps me more than you'll ever know. Thank you!! LET'S CONNECT Sign up for my (pretty darn good) newsletter that I very craftily named ReportCard. For hundreds of tutorials featuring tips on studying, productivity, organization, learning, time management and more, head to my blog: SchoolHabits.com.

    34 min
  4. 122. The Biggest Lie We Tell Struggling Students: Why Studying MORE Isn't the Answer

    APR 16

    122. The Biggest Lie We Tell Struggling Students: Why Studying MORE Isn't the Answer

    Send me a message!🤓 ⭐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 mark, what's actually going on for students who are working hard and still not seeing results, and what the real solution looks like. What You'll Learn: Why more effort applied to the wrong approach doesn't produce better results — and what it produces insteadThe real reason high-achieving high schoolers often completely fall apart their first semester of college (it's not what you think)Why the scaffolds schools provide (study guides, teacher slides, pre-made flashcards) can work against students in the long runWhat most students are actually doing when they think they're studying, and why it doesn't workThe house-building metaphor that reframes everything about how we talk to struggling studentsThe six specific, teachable skills that make up the real foundation of academic successThe one question parents should ask before ever telling their student to try harder🔗 Resources Mentioned: ⭐SchoolHabits University (SchoolHabitsUniversity.com)⭐Note-Taking Power System (NoteTakingSystem.com)⭐Assignment Management Power System (AssignmentManagementSystem.com)Episode website (https://www.learnandworksmarter.com/podcast/122)❤️ Connect: InstagramFacebookPinterestSubscribe on YouTube Got your own burning question you'd like me to answer on a future episode? AWESOME! You can submit your questions via the form on my homepage right here. Please follow the show and leave a review if what you hear is helpful. Doing so helps me more than you'll ever know. Thank you!! LET'S CONNECT Sign up for my (pretty darn good) newsletter that I very craftily named ReportCard. For hundreds of tutorials featuring tips on studying, productivity, organization, learning, time management and more, head to my blog: SchoolHabits.com.

    28 min
  5. 121. Frustration Tolerance: What It Is, Why It Matters, and How to Build It

    APR 9

    121. Frustration Tolerance: What It Is, Why It Matters, and How to Build It

    Send me a message!🤓 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 tolerance is and why it matters a tonThe connection between frustration tolerance and ADHD (we get a little science-y here)The roles that emotional regulation, past experiences and personal narrative play in our ability to handle hard tasksHow to make tasks less frustrating in the first place (so you don't hit your max capacity so soon)What to do when you do hit your maximum frustration tolerance and you still have work to doThe ultimate mega strategy for improving your frustration tolerance so you can learn and work more peacefully and with way less drama🔗 Resources Mentioned: ⭐SchoolHabits University (SchoolHabitsUniversity.com)⭐Note-Taking Power System (NoteTakingSystem.com)⭐Assignment Management Power System (AssignmentManagementSystem.com)⭐FREE Parent Training: How to Help Your Teen Handle School Like a ProEpisode website (https://www.learnandworksmarter.com/podcast/121)Episode 38: How to Be ResourcefulEpisode 55: How to Use Body Doubling to Improve Your FocusEpisode 64: How to Do Hard ThingsEpisode 84: How to Fail SmarterEpisode 118: The Real Reason You Have Test Anxiety ❤️ Connect: InstagramFacebookPinterestSubscribe on YouTube Got your own burning question you'd like me to answer on a future episode? AWESOME! You can submit your questions via the form on my homepage right here. Please follow the show and leave a review if what you hear is helpful. Doing so helps me more than you'll ever know. Thank you!! LET'S CONNECT Sign up for my (pretty darn good) newsletter that I very craftily named ReportCard. For hundreds of tutorials featuring tips on studying, productivity, organization, learning, time management and more, head to my blog: SchoolHabits.com.

    37 min
  6. 120. Note-Taking During Phone Calls, ADHD Accommodations at Work and School, and Supporting College Students (Q&A)

    APR 2

    120. Note-Taking During Phone Calls, ADHD Accommodations at Work and School, and Supporting College Students (Q&A)

    Send me a message!🤓 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 significantly easier (and less stressful)What parents of struggling college students usually get wrong about why their kid is falling behindThe legal protections available to students with ADHD or disabilities in grad school, and how to actually use themWhy people with ADHD sometimes feel totally fine, then suddenly overwhelmed again, and what to do when it happens 🔗 Resources Mentioned: ⭐Free Parent Training⭐SchoolHabits University (SchoolHabitsUniversity.com)⭐Note-Taking Power System (NoteTakingSystem.com)⭐Assignment Management Power System (AssignmentManagementSystem.com)Episode website (https://www.learnandworksmarter.com/podcast/120)ADHD accommodations https://askjan.org/disabilities/Attention-Deficit-Hyperactivity-Disorder-AD-HD.cfm❤️ Connect: InstagramFacebookPinterestSubscribe on YouTubeGot your own burning question you'd like me to answer on a future episode? AWESOME! You can submit your questions via the form on my homepage right here. Please follow the show and leave a review if what you hear is helpful. Doing so helps me more than you'll ever know. Thank you!! LET'S CONNECT Sign up for my (pretty darn good) newsletter that I very craftily named ReportCard. For hundreds of tutorials featuring tips on studying, productivity, organization, learning, time management and more, head to my blog: SchoolHabits.com.

    23 min
  7. 119. My Top 10 Favorite Tools for Productivity and Organization

    MAR 26

    119. My Top 10 Favorite Tools for Productivity and Organization

    Send me a message!🤓 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 nightstand!). What You Learn: The most critical web-based tools that I depend on for managing time and tasksWhat I keep on my nightstand that makes my mornings smootherMy favorite tool that goes beepA tool I made for myself that improves my productivity just as much as any other toolMy favorite productivity/tool of all that’s…well…not really a tool🔗 Resources Mentioned: Episode website with transcript⭐SchoolHabits University ⭐Note-Taking Power System⭐Assignment Management Power System ⭐Free Training for Parents of Teens and Young Adult StudentsEpisode 52 - How to Make and Use SOPs for Better ProductivityEpisode 76 - Google Calendar Power MovesEpisode 101 - Digital Declutter StrategiesEpisode 117 - How to Create a Personal Operating System ❤️ Connect: InstagramFacebookPinterestSubscribe on YouTube Got your own burning question you'd like me to answer on a future episode? AWESOME! You can submit your questions via the form on my homepage right here. Please follow the show and leave a review if what you hear is helpful. Doing so helps me more than you'll ever know. Thank you!! LET'S CONNECT Sign up for my (pretty darn good) newsletter that I very craftily named ReportCard. For hundreds of tutorials featuring tips on studying, productivity, organization, learning, time management and more, head to my blog: SchoolHabits.com.

    33 min
  8. 118. The Real Reason for Test Anxiety — And Why It Has Nothing to Do With Nerves

    MAR 19

    118. The Real Reason for Test Anxiety — And Why It Has Nothing to Do With Nerves

    Send me a message!🤓 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 takerThe REAL cause of test anxiety (you might not like hearing this)How to prevent test anxiety on your very next examHow to decrease the physiological symptoms of test anxiety when it’s too late to prevent it🔗 Resources Mentioned: ⭐SchoolHabits University ⭐Note-Taking Power System⭐Assignment Management Power System ⭐Free Training for Parents of Teens and Young Adult StudentsEpisode 20 - What is Active Recall and How to Use ItEpisode 104 - Why Your Study Systems Stopped WorkingEpisode website with transcript❤️ Connect: InstagramFacebookPinterestSubscribe on YouTube Got your own burning question you'd like me to answer on a future episode? AWESOME! You can submit your questions via the form on my homepage right here. Please follow the show and leave a review if what you hear is helpful. Doing so helps me more than you'll ever know. Thank you!! LET'S CONNECT Sign up for my (pretty darn good) newsletter that I very craftily named ReportCard. For hundreds of tutorials featuring tips on studying, productivity, organization, learning, time management and more, head to my blog: SchoolHabits.com.

    25 min
See All (125)

Trailer

5
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About

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.

Information

  • Creator
    Katie Azevedo
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2026
  • Episodes
    125
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Learn and Work Smarter
  • Show Website
    Learn and Work Smarter

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