Executive functions are some of the most important skills you could ever possess. (Strong claim, yep.) Because they’re so important, I’ve dedicated my life to teaching these skills to students and professionals through my blog, YouTube channel, this podcast, and my private executive function coaching services. The truth is that everything we talk a…

It's time for our August Q&A episode! This is where I answer questions submitted by listeners -- yes, that's you! In this week's Q&A, I answer three listener questions: ✅Question 1: A soon-to-be college student asks me for advice for heading into freshman year of college. ✅Question 2: A working professional asks about annotating used books. Do we i…

In this episode of the Learn and Work Smarter podcast, you learn everything you need to know about building a student resume that sets you apart from the pack. The right resume highlighting the right things can get you in the door to college, internships, and jobs. (So yeah, it's important!) Your resume is your first impression, and as you know, yo…

There’s nothing worse than taking time away from the office to relax, but then coming home to absolute chaos when you return. In this episode of the Learn and Work Smarter podcast, I share three pre-vacation strategies that can help you relax deeper when you’re away from the office and return to work stress-free. This episode is all about systems. …

In this episode of the Learn and Work Smarter podcast, we dive into the art of effective note-taking during meetings. Whether you’re a seasoned professional or a student navigating academic clubs and group projects, these insights are exactly for you. I’ll show you how to simplify the note-taking process so you can stay focused and organized withou…

I answer two questions submitted by listeners in this monthly Q&A episode of the Learn and Work Smarter podcast. The first question is from a recent college graduate asking about his first job. He’s currently in a job he doesn’t enjoy, and he’s wondering if he should stick it out or quit and move on. The second question is from a working profession…

In this episode of the Learn and Work Smarter podcast, we are talking about a skill that comes in handy for students, working professionals, and basically anyone who reads books. Yep, we are talking about note-taking. Specifically, how to take useful notes from books, whether you’re reading a book for school that you’ll have to write an essay on, o…

Although we live in a digital age, we’re somehow still surrounded by papers. Work papers, school papers, home papers – these can clutter our spaces and our minds. Do you throw it away? Keep it forever? File it in a drawer? Scan it into the computer? Ah! In this episode of the Learn and Work Smarter podcast, we cover 6 tips for organizing papers. Th…

In this episode, we dive into the concept of a Power Hour, a time management strategy designed to help working professionals and students make progress on their most important tasks. Learn how to harness the power of a focused, uninterrupted hour to boost your productivity and move the needle on the things that are just, for some reason, not comple…

It’s another monthly Q&A episode where I answer questions submitted by listeners. (That’s YOU!) I answer two listener questions this month. The first question is from a working professional. They’re asking for tips to stay motivated during slower periods in the office. (Yep - the summer slump happens at work, too.) The second question is from a col…

Time is our most valuable resource, which means that we should be doing everything in our power to ensure we’re spending it on the right things. In this episode of the Learn and Work Smarter podcast, I talk about the top 5 time management mistakes I see my clients make all the time (my students and my working professionals). These mistakes may seem…

The ability to focus is the foundational skill required to meet our personal, academic and professional goals. Without the ability to focus, we can't achieve what we want -- and that's what makes the topic of this episode so important. In this episode of the Learn and Work Smarter podcast, I teach you about the two primary roadblocks to your focus,…

We can’t be productive 100 percent of the time. (I know! How outrageous!) But even on the days we lack the motivation to do the work we’re supposed to do, we don’t exactly want to do nothing. In this episode of the Learn and Work Smarter podcast, I give you 10 ideas of productive things to do when you don’t feel like being productive but also don’t…

It’s another Q&A episode where I answer questions submitted by listeners! The first question is submitted by a college student looking for advice about finding and landing the perfect student internship. The second question is submitted by a working professional who doesn’t know if her workplace disorganization is a product of poor systems or perha…

This episode of the Learn and Work Smarter podcast is practical, tactical and strategic. We dive into the topic of weekly planning, which is a core practice for both working professionals and students who have things to do. Why does weekly planning matter? And why should you start doing it, like, yesterday? Because when we have a system for structu…

If you're a student or a working professional looking to maximize your learning and retention, this episode is for you. That’s because we are diving into the powerful potential of active recall study strategies. If you haven’t heard, active recall is THE method for studying and learning. We begin by breaking down what active recall is and why it's …

Believe it or not, feeling challenged at work is a sign you're in the right job. Challenging jobs push us to the edge of our zone of ability and comfort level, which can improve our confidence in tackling future hard tasks. But in this episode of the Learn and Work Smarter podcast, I share strategies about what to do when your job is too hard. Beca…

Get ready to discover one of my top tricks for maximizing productivity. Chances are, you're already familiar with it, but I'm here to show you how to truly leverage its potential. Tune in to this episode of Learn and Work Smarter, where I show you how to use the Batching Strategy to work better. Once you delve into the art of using the Batching Str…

In this monthly Q&A episode, I answer two questions from listeners looking for ways to learn and work smarter. The first question is from a working professional struggling with project management. To address this issue, we talk about the difference between tasks and projects, and how to set up a system to keep track of all the open loops. The secon…

Welcome to another episode of the Learn And Work Smarter podcast! In today's episode, we're diving deep into the often underestimated power of our environment. From our surroundings to the colors and lights, everything influences how we learn and perform. Get ready to revamp your work or study space with these 10 unique yet practical tips. 💻PODCAST…

Whether you love it or hate it, email is the main communication tool in nearly every professional and academic space. And that means that if you don’t know how to manage your inbox, you’re not doing your job as well as you could be. This episode of the Learn and Work Smarter podcast is full of practical email management tips. I share: 3 best practi…

Have you heard of the Pomodoro Technique before? If not, this is THE episode for you. If you have, then I’ll bet you haven’t heard it explained like this before. In this week’s episode of the Learn and Work Smarter Podcast, we have a rich conversation all about using the Pomodoro Technique to increase productivity and motivation at school and work.…

It’s time for another Q&A episode here on the Learn and Work Smarter Podcast! In these fun monthly Q&A episodes, I answer questions submitted by listeners. Yes, that’s you! I answer two listener questions in this month’s Q&A: Question 1: From a working professional struggling to create productivity systems for home to match her systems at work. Que…

➡️Register for my FREE Parent Education Masterclass (March 8th or 15th!) ✏️ Enroll in SchoolHabits University→ Limited-time enrollment Are your productivity systems working for you? Or do they need a tuneup? Our productivity systems include task management, time management, and organization – just to name a few. When even one of these systems is of…

Have you ever wondered how some people seem to succeed in school or in work with hardly any effort? They ace the test or get the promotion and it just seems easy? First things first: It’s definitely not easy. And second, it’s not intelligence that sets these achievers apart from the rest. Instead, it comes down to the SKILLS they have. In this week…

It’s time for another Q&A episode here on the Learn and Work Smarter Podcast! In these monthly Q&A episodes, I answer questions submitted by listeners. That’s you! Don’t forget – you can submit your questions too! There’s a form on the homepage of LearnAndWorkSmarter.com. All submissions are anonymous. I answer two questions in this month’s Q&A: on…

Organization is one of those things that is the foundation for so many OTHER things. When we’re disorganized, it can feel like everything around us falls apart and is so much harder than it needs to be. If your digital space is disorganized, you can’t find what you need when you need it. If your tasks are disorganized, you don’t know what you’re su…

Motivation is a tricky topic. It’s not necessarily an emotion, and it’s also not an action. Yet, despite its mystery, we somehow depend on it to do nearly everything. On the other hand, many of us claim to understand the concept of discipline a little better. Discipline, we argue, is all about gritting our teeth and getting the job done. In this we…

Learning things is a lifelong activity. It’s not something that stops happening once we graduate. Students and working professionals will always be faced with the challenge of learning new things, and … wait for it … there’s an actual WAY to learn. (I know! If only they taught this in school!) This week’s episode is all about HOW to learn. The lear…

This is the first Q&A episode here on the Learn and Work Smarter Podcast! In these monthly Q&A episodes, I answer questions submitted by listeners (that’s you!). Don’t forget – you can submit your questions too! There’s a form on the homepage of LearnAndWorkSmarter.com. All submissions are anonymous. I answer two questions in this month’s Q&A: One …

One of the most important things you can do for your productivity is create a good task management system. If you don’t have a way to capture and manage the things you have to do, you run the risk of a) forgetting them b) doing them late c) stressing yourself out trying to remember them d) all of the above. In this week’s episode, I teach students …

We all know what it’s like to feel overwhelmed. There are too many things, not enough time, and just so much pressure to do it all right now. In this week’s episode, I share some practical strategies to feel less overwhelmed by getting a handle on the things you can control. The theme of this episode is taking action. After all, the only way we can…

The concept of learning styles has been floating around for many, many years. However, recently (ish) the existence of learning styles has been questioned. In other words: do they even exist? In this week’s episode, we talk all about learning and working styles: what they are if they even exist how knowing your learning and working preferences can …

Did you know that unmanaged administration tasks (email, errands, phone calls, etc.) are often the BIGGEST disrupter of productivity and focus? That’s right — when you don’t have control of all the “little” school and work administration tasks, all the important tasks become so much harder than they need to be. In this week’s episode, we dive into …

Hello and welcome to the Learn and Work Smarter podcast! This is the podcast for students and working professionals who want to learn and work smarter. From schoolhabits.com, I’m your host Katie Azevedo, M.Ed., and I am so excited to have you here! In this brief introduction episode, I'm revealing the plan for the Learn and Work Smarter podcast. It…

Katy Thoma, President & CEO of the Chico Chamber interviews Anastacia Snyder, Executive Director of Catalyst Domestic Violence Services about their programs and services. Anastacia also talks about how COVID-19 affected those survivors sheltering in place and any safety planning strategies to keep their employees and businesses safe. The post Ep # …

Katy Thoma, President & CEO of the Chico Chamber interviews Tyler Smith, CEO & Partner of local company Matson & Isom Technology Consulting about the challenges of having a hybrid of staff working remote and staff in the office. MITCS also offers technology support and training through their ClearIT Partner Program. The post Ep # 40 – Matson and Is…

Katy Thoma, President & CEO of the Chico Chamber interviews Brad Azevedo, Executive Director, The Terraces of Chico our Chamber partner and senior living community here in Chico. Brad shares how The Terraces community and staff (the heroes) have had to adjust during the COVID-19 pandemic. The post Ep # 38 – The Terraces – A Zoom Audio Interview wit…

So, who releases a book during a pandemic? Owners of Chico, CA marketing and advertising agency Half a Bubble Out, Michael & Kathryn Redman! In fact, they mention that the timing of the release of their new book “Fulfilled” was actually GOOD timing because whether you are coming out of this COVID-19 pandemic needing to re-build your business, build…

Our City of Chico Assistant City Manager, Chris Constantin joined Katy Thoma for a one on one Zoom interview. Chris is the key City of Chico contact to assist businesses on the City’s behalf. The City considers every Chico business as essential which is why they are focusing on reducing COVID-19 exposure. We thank Chris for his time and hope you ta…

Chico Chamber President & CEO, Katy Thoma got to share a few moments with Dr. Gayle E. Hutchinson, President, of California State University Chico. In this podcast you will hear Gayle talk about Chico State’s Master Plan and the 3 priorities of their Strategic Plan: Equity, diversity and inclusion, Civic and Global Engagement and Resilient and Sust…

The Chico Chamber and City of Chico co-hosted the 2020 Business Summit & State of the City Address Friday, January 24, 2020. In this podcast you will hear the State of the City Address by Chico Mayor, Randall Stone Chico City Manager, Mark Orme and City of Chico Public Works Director, Brendan Ottoboni addressing sale tax measure, roads and housing,…

November was the last Leadership Luncheon of the year for our Chico Chamber Young Professionals Organization with featured speaker, Matt York Executive Director of OMPT, One Mobile Projector Per Trainer. Branching out of his other company Videomaker Inc. in 2008, Matt founded OMPT because of his genuine passion to make a difference in the developin…

As you can imagine being a Chief of Police leaves little time for sitting down. But our CEO & President Katy Thoma managed sit down with Chico Chief of Police Michael O’Brien to catch up on how his department is fairing and how the community is fairing post Camp Fire. He adds that in the future, the department will be implementing some additional t…

Kathryn & Michael Redman, owners of local business Half a Bubble Out & HABO Village were recent guest speakers at the May Chico Chamber YPO Leadership Luncheon. According to Kathryn and Michael, the primary job of any leader is to Empower & Protect. Empower – giving your staff everything they need to be successful. Protect – making sure there are n…