Learn and Work Smarter

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 throu...

In this month's Q&A episode, I'm answering two questions that hit on some of the biggest study and productivity myths out there. 

Question One: A college student asks how to study for six to eight hours straight without crashing. My answer? Don't. 

Question Two: Someone asks about staying motivated to finish projects once the initial excitement wears off. Spoiler: motivation isn't the answer. 

In this episode o...

Most of us end our week by simply stopping, closing the laptop, and walking away. But then we wonder all weekend long why we can’t stop thinking about work or school.

That’s where the Friday Review comes in.

This simple 5–10 minute habit helps you close the loops from your week, get some clarity about what your weekend work schedule might be (or not be!), and set up next week so you’re not starting Monday from zer...

Digital clutter is easier to ignore than physical clutter, because we can hide it behind folders and tabs. But eventually, digital clutter builds up so much that it impacts our focus and productivity even more than the physical mess around us.

In this episode of the Learn and Work Smarter podcast, I'm diving into the hidden consequences of digital clutter, the 5 zones digital clutter accumulates the most, and a framework that c...

This is our 100th episode of the Learn and Work Smarter podcast! To celebrate this cool milestone, I've gone back into every single episode and extracted one key tip to re-share with you.

Grab your pen and paper (or grab the transcript at learnandworksmarter.com/podcast/100) and be prepared to get inspired. I read each episode number, the episode title, and the key takeaway ... and if you hear something you want to learn more a...

In this Q&A episode of the Learn and Work Smarter podcast, I’m answering two listener questions from college students who are both wondering what comes next.

One student is deciding between a traditional job and entrepreneurship, and the other is trying to make the most of college while figuring out her future path.

We’re diving into the myths around entrepreneurship, the value of early career experience, and how to use your coll...

There’s more to meetings than just showing up and trying to sound smart. In fact, there’s a whole hidden curriculum in most meetings that is more about how you act than about what you say.

In this episode of the Learn and Work Smarter podcast, I’m sharing the secret meeting skills that nobody talks about, but that everybody notices. When you know these skills, you’ll start using meetings as a way to build your professional reputatio...

All the strategies in the world won't protect you from having an occasional bad day. Bad days are just ... part of being human. But how we respond to a bad day can make all the difference in the world.

In this episode of the Learn and Work Smarter podcast, I dig into the two options you can choose from when your day begins to tank: quit the day (this is actually a legitimate option) or do what you can to salvage what's lef...

You're following all the productivity advice you see on the internet, you're waking up early, and getting to inbox zero, and doing all the "right things" ... but still, you're stressed out and overwhelmed. 

The problem just might be that the advice you're following is ... bad.

In this episode of the Learn and Work Smarter podcast, I'm sharing 9 pieces of bad productivity advice that have so many peo...

Accurately predicting how long tasks will take to complete is a core skill related to time management. It’s called time estimation, and many of us are terrible at it.

If you want to improve your time management skills, you can’t ignore the power of learning how to accurately estimate how long common school or work tasks take you to finish. If you’ve struggled with time management in the past, this might be why.

In this episode of the...

Two of the biggest barriers to our productivity as students and professionals are over-complicated systems that don’t work and disruptions to our focus.

In this month’s Q&A episode of the Learn and Work Smarter podcast, I answer two listener questions about those exact two roadblocks.

Question One: How do I know if my task management system is working?

Question Two: How do I get my work done when I have so many random meetings?

Wha...

Beating procrastination and lowering stress at school and at work requires getting crystal-clear about what you’re doing. Without clarity, your mind spirals with anxious questions (What do I have to do? Am I missing something?) and you’re more likely to waste time on the wrong things.

In this episode of the Learn and Work Smarter podcast, I teach you a practical 10-minute habit that can revolutionize how you begin and end each day —...

Many smart students struggle in school because no one ever taught them the actual skills of learning.

In this episode of the Learn and Work Smarter podcast, I’m sharing highlights from a larger free parent training I created. You’ll hear why “study harder” is bad advice, why motivation isn’t the magic fix we think it is, and what students really need to thrive in school and beyond.

Parents, this one’s especially for you, but students...

Our working memory has many strengths, like doing mental math and remembering the first part of a sentence as we read the second part. 

But the one thing it’s NOT good at is the one thing we keep asking it to do: remember information for longer than a brief moment.

That’s NOT what our working memories are designed to do. In this episode of the Learn and Work Smarter podcast, we talk all about working memory and how to support it. Peo...

Getting more reading into your life isn’t just about willpower, and working productively with chronic illness isn’t just about “pushing through.” Both require smart strategies that fit your real life.

In this month’s Q&A episode, I answer two listener questions: how to finally build a consistent reading habit, and how to adapt productivity systems when chronic illness is part of the equation. You’ll walk away with practical tool...

Getting work done and completed on time isn’t just about motivation or working harder. (It rarely ever is.) Instead, it’s about whether your tasks move smoothly through a hidden but super-powerful funnel.

In this episode, I break down the 4 stages of the Assignment Funnel for students and the Project Funnel for professionals, showing how both systems explain why some people finish calmly and others get stuck in a cycle of procrastin...

Multitasking feels productive, but the science says otherwise. Every time we switch between tasks, we lose time, accuracy, and energy — up to 40% of it. No wonder so many of us end the day feeling exhausted but not actually accomplished.

In this episode of the Learn and Work Smarter podcast, I dig into why multitasking doesn’t work (even if you think you’re the exception) and share a smarter, science-backed strategy called backgroun...

The most traditional journey after high school is directly to a 4-year college. But for many students, there's a smarter path.

In this expert interview with education consultant Annie Reece, we demystify the gap year and PG year options for students.

Never considered these options? This episode might change everything you thought you knew about this magical year.

You Learn:

• The difference between gap and PG years
• What kind of s...

In this monthly Q&A episode, I answer two questions submitted by listeners of the Learn and Work Smarter podcast.

Question one comes from a student. He asks me to weigh in on the most underrated parts of college. (Oof, there are a lot!)

Question two comes from a working professional. She asks for some ways to use her blank (untimed) planner to manage work tasks without using time blocking.

What You Learn:

• Why office hours are o...