Learn and Work Smarter

Katie Azevedo
  • 5.0 (22)
  • EDUCATION
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

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. 113. The 6-System Ecosystem for School and Work (And Why Working Harder Isn't Enough)

    2D AGO

    113. The 6-System Ecosystem for School and Work (And Why Working Harder Isn't Enough)

    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 we break them all down in this episode of the Learn and Work Smarter podcast. What You Learn: Why fixing just one productivity problem rarely leads to lasting improvementThe 6 interconnected systems that separate high performers from chronic strugglersHow weak skills create cascading failures across your entire workflowWhich system breakdowns cause the most common academic and professional struggles🔗 Resources + Episodes Mentioned: Episode website with transcript⭐SchoolHabits University: (SchoolHabitsUniversity.com)⭐The College Note-Taking Power System (CollegeNoteTakingSystem.com)⭐Assignment Management Power System (AssignmentManagementSystem.com)Episode 92 - Your Kid Needs THESE SkillsEpisode 104 - 3 Reasons Your Study Methods Stopped Working❤️ Connect: InstagramFacebookPinterest✏️Get my $47 Note-Taking Course: collegenotetakingsystem.com 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. Subscribe on YouTube(@LearnAndWorkSmarter) Connect on Instagram (@SchoolHabits) Connect on Facebook (SchoolHabitsKatie)

    39 min
  2. Office Transition Strategies and the Power of Color in Study Methods(Q&A)

    FEB 5

    Office Transition Strategies and the Power of Color in Study Methods(Q&A)

    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 setting yourself up for frustrationThe simple boundary-setting script that trains colleagues to respect your focus time without you having to explain yourself or seem difficultWhy you should bring a desk lamp to the office (yes, really)... plus other unexpected items that can transform a sterile workspaceThe truth about colored flashcards: when color theory actually helps memory and when you're just adding cognitive load for no reasonWhy your study method isn't working (hint: the structure isn't the strategy, and most students confuse the two)🔗 Resources + Episodes Mentioned: Episode website with transcript⭐SchoolHabits University: (SchoolHabitsUniversity.com)⭐The College Note-Taking Power System (CollegeNoteTakingSystem.com)⭐Assignment Management Power System (AssignmentManagementSystem.com)Episode 94 - Simplifying Task Management and Staying Focused despite DistractionsEpisode 03 - How to Use an Admin Block for Increased Productivity❤️ Connect: InstagramFacebookPinterest✏️Get my $47 Note-Taking Course: collegenotetakingsystem.com 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. Subscribe on YouTube(@LearnAndWorkSmarter) Connect on Instagram (@SchoolHabits) Connect on Facebook (SchoolHabitsKatie)

    24 min
  3. 111. What to Do When You Don't Like Your Boss or Teacher

    JAN 29

    111. What to Do When You Don't Like Your Boss or Teacher

    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? Don't worry: I've got you covered with tips, strategies, and some sneaky little mindset hacks to tolerate those teachers and bosses you don't like.  What You Learn: Why identifying the specific thing that bothers you about your teacher or boss changes everything (most people skip this step)The pattern recognition strategy that makes difficult authority relationships more manageable, even when you think they're being unreasonable (and even when you’re so obviously right)How to protect your grades, job performance, and future options without compromising your values or losing your identityThe biggest mistakes people make when dealing with teachers or bosses they don't like (and why these tempting approaches backfire)Practical tactics for getting through the really hard days when you REALLY can’t stand your teacher or boss🔗 Resources + Episodes Mentioned: Episode website with transcript⭐SchoolHabits University: (SchoolHabitsUniversity.com)⭐The College Note-Taking Power System (CollegeNoteTakingSystem.com)⭐Assignment Management Power System (AssignmentManagementSystem.com)Episode 60 - How to Handle Workplace Conflict (with HR expert Jessica Alvarez)Episode 46 - How to Be Professional❤️ Connect: InstagramFacebookPinterest✏️Get my $47 Note-Taking Course: collegenotetakingsystem.com 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. Subscribe on YouTube(@LearnAndWorkSmarter) Connect on Instagram (@SchoolHabits) Connect on Facebook (SchoolHabitsKatie)

    38 min
  4. 110. How to Think: Why It's Hard, Why It Matters, and How to Do It in an AI World

    JAN 22

    110. How to Think: Why It's Hard, Why It Matters, and How to Do It in an AI World

    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. In this episode of the Learn and Work Smarter podcast, I dive deep into something we could all use a masterclass in: how to think. We talk about what it's supposed to look like (in our heads and in writing), why it's hard, and a whole bunch of strategies and frameworks to make thinking easier and encourage your thoughts to flow. No AI needed (or invited to the party in the first place. humph.). What You Learn: Why thinking is supposed to feel uncomfortable, messy, and slow, and how this discomfort is a sign you're doing it rightThe real danger of outsourcing your thinking to AI, including recent studies showing actual brain atrophy in people who use it regularly (!!)Tool-based strategies for externalizing your thoughts and organizing them on paperSpace-based strategies that create ideal conditions for breakthrough ideas and deeper problem-solvingHow to give yourself permission to sit in the "I don't know" phase long enough to generate something original instead of copping out with generic AI slopAnd most importantly: why you need to care about this. Seriously. You need to care.Resources Mentioned: Episode website with transcript⭐SchoolHabits University: (SchoolHabitsUniversity.com)⭐The College Note-Taking Power System (CollegeNoteTakingSystem.com)⭐Assignment Management Power System (AssignmentManagementSystem.com)Episode 67 - The Case for Critical Thinking, with Professor Mark MassaroHow to Do a Mind Map✏️Get my $47 Note-Taking Course: collegenotetakingsystem.com 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. Subscribe on YouTube(@LearnAndWorkSmarter) Connect on Instagram (@SchoolHabits) Connect on Facebook (SchoolHabitsKatie)

    35 min
  5. 109. Work-Life Balance Is a Lie: 3 Better, Way More Practical Ways to Think About Balance

    JAN 15

    109. Work-Life Balance Is a Lie: 3 Better, Way More Practical Ways to Think About Balance

    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 achieveWhy daily balance is the wrong goal (and what timeframe actually works)How to stop dividing yourself into competing piecesThe power of naming what season you're inWhy guilt about imbalance means you're measuring the wrong thing🔗 Resources + Episodes Mentioned: Episode website with transcript⭐SchoolHabits University: (SchoolHabitsUniversity.com)⭐The College Note-Taking Power System (CollegeNoteTakingSystem.com)⭐Assignment Management Power System (AssignmentManagementSystem.com)Episode 45 - Are You Doing Too Much?Episode 68 - The Time Management Trap No One Talks AboutEpisode 102 - The Friday Review❤️ Connect: InstagramFacebookPinterest✏️Get my $47 Note-Taking Course: collegenotetakingsystem.com 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. Subscribe on YouTube(@LearnAndWorkSmarter) Connect on Instagram (@SchoolHabits) Connect on Facebook (SchoolHabitsKatie)

    31 min
  6. 108. Three Things You’re Overcomplicating About Getting Things Done (That Should Be Simple)

    JAN 8

    108. Three Things You’re Overcomplicating About Getting Things Done (That Should Be Simple)

    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 moving onThe reality of task management: why basic systems outperform fancy apps, and what you really need to stay on top of your workThree ways we overcomplicate doing the work, and why waiting for the right conditions is procrastination dressed up as planningWhy more complexity doesn't make you more effective, and the simple approach that gets results better than anything else🔗 Resources + Episodes Mentioned: Episode website with transcript⭐SchoolHabits University: (SchoolHabitsUniversity.com)⭐The College Note-Taking Power System (CollegeNoteTakingSystem.com)⭐Assignment Management Power System (AssignmentManagementSystem.com)Episode 54 - Why Action Is the Only Strategy You’ll Ever NeedEpisode 49 - How to make better decisions Episode 96 - Bad productivity advice❤️ Connect: InstagramFacebookPinterest✏️Get my $47 Note-Taking Course: collegenotetakingsystem.com 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. Subscribe on YouTube(@LearnAndWorkSmarter) Connect on Instagram (@SchoolHabits) Connect on Facebook (SchoolHabitsKatie)

    28 min
  7. 107. Simplifying Multi-Client Task Management and Managing Afternoon Energy Slumps (Q&A)

    JAN 1

    107. Simplifying Multi-Client Task Management and Managing Afternoon Energy Slumps (Q&A)

    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 thing - and how confusing them keeps you overwhelmedHow to figure out if afternoon focus crashes are biological or just a narrative you've reinforced over timeSimple fixes for afternoon energy slumps: strategic eating, movement timing, and classroom positioningWhy you should optimize your schedule around energy patterns and experiment with changing those patterns at the same time🔗 Resources + Episodes Mentioned: Episode website with transcript⭐SchoolHabits University: (SchoolHabitsUniversity.com)⭐The College Note-Taking Power System (CollegeNoteTakingSystem.com)⭐Assignment Management Power System (AssignmentManagementSystem.com)Episode 10: Task management Q&A❤️ Connect: InstagramFacebookPinterest✏️Get my $47 Note-Taking Course: collegenotetakingsystem.com 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. Subscribe on YouTube(@LearnAndWorkSmarter) Connect on Instagram (@SchoolHabits) Connect on Facebook (SchoolHabitsKatie)

    35 min
  8. 106. The Anti-Goal Goal-Setting Strategy: 3 Tweaks That Change Everything

    12/25/2025

    106. The Anti-Goal Goal-Setting Strategy: 3 Tweaks That Change Everything

    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 of year) and giving you the specific fixes for each one. These aren't just woo-woo mindset ideas… they're practical strategies you can apply immediately to any goal you're working toward. What You Learn: Why focusing on outcomes instead of effort sets you up for failureWhy your goals keep failing even when you have good intentionsHow to make sure your goals fit your real schedule and energy (not your fantasy version)The psychology behind why we give January 1st so much powerHow to evaluate whether timing actually matters for your specific goalWhy judging yourself only by outcomes leads to burnout🔗 Resources + Episodes Mentioned: Episode website with transcript⭐SchoolHabits University: (SchoolHabitsUniversity.com)⭐The College Note-Taking Power System (CollegeNoteTakingSystem.com)⭐Assignment Management Power System (AssignmentManagementSystem.com)Episode 54: The Secret Ingredient Behind Every Accomplishment EverEpisode 47: How to REALLY Change a HabitEpisode 76: Using Your Calendar EffectivelyEpisode 95: Time Estimation Tips (especially for ADHD)❤️ Connect: InstagramFacebookPinterest✏️Get my $47 Note-Taking Course: collegenotetakingsystem.com 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. Subscribe on YouTube(@LearnAndWorkSmarter) Connect on Instagram (@SchoolHabits) Connect on Facebook (SchoolHabitsKatie)

    29 min
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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
    113
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Learn and Work Smarter
  • Show Website
    Learn and Work Smarter