Back to school: achieving the work-life balance
Every day, we try to keep on top of the demands of work and home. With Lumia, you’re better equipped to maintain a healthy equilibrium.
Life isn’t as black and white as we want it to be. Sometimes work or studies encroach on our home life, and vice versa.
We caught up with Jay Montano, mobile technology enthusiast, founder of MyNokiaBlog, and newly minted medical doctor to learn how he’s using Lumia at home, away and anywhere in-between.
Having studied medicine at the University of Manchester for five years, Jay’s recent graduation sees him on his way to helping people with different ailments from all walks of life.
“The long-term goal is to become a general practitioner and open up my own practice. I like the thought of getting to know my patients and taking care of their health over time,” he said.
How does Jay achieve a healthy work-life balance? He does so in part with the help of his Lumia.
“I actually found that blogging helped me escape from some of the pressure of uni. Equally, when I had so much planned for my blog, my studies became an escape; they balanced each other perfectly,” Jay said.
“Organizing the two parts of my life was made easier by my first Lumia phone–the Lumia 800. This was the first time I could get my calendar to easily sync entries between my university and personal calendar, helping me to organize my time properly.”
Writing, publishing, and maintaining a popular blog while studying meant that Jay sometimes had to work on-the-go, such as when riding on a hospital shuttle.
“One of the ways I’d use that time would be to check blog comments or make blog posts using the WordPress app,” he said. “It’s an easy way to whip up a post during short breaks as I almost always have my phone on me.”
Jay is a self-proclaimed “nerd” and has owned several Lumia smartphones, such as the Lumia 920, and the Lumia 1520, with the latter being his favorite.
“The 6-inch display, the power under the hood, built-in wireless charging, and an epic [20-megapixel PureView] camera!”
Jay’s a big fan of Lumia’s imaging capabilities, saying, “It’s always a class above the rest.”
In fact, the camera on his Lumia was an important study tool.“[I can] take pictures of important pages in textbooks or lecture slides and still be able to see everything clearly. It not only saves on photocopying time and expenses. Snapping away during key moments in class meant I could really focus on listening, not scribbling down notes.
“Both CamScanner and Office Lens do a great job at transforming the photos into a document for later viewing.”
Every Lumia smartphone, such as the Lumia 640 and Lumia 640 XL, features the Start screen’s Live Tiles, which are more than just simple shortcuts for him.
“The ability to pin Live Tiles to the Start screen is a massive help and something I constantly missed when trying other platforms,” he said.
“I can pin a particular train journey to my Start screen saving me time inputting the destinations time and time again. Additionally, pinning locations with HERE Maps either with HERE Drive or HERE Transit is a big timesaver.”
For Jay, keeping everything organized and in its place is a high priority.
“I like to use my time wisely. Efficiently. The option to put everything into folders on the Start screen is the best way to organize everything,” he said.
“I’ve got folders for apps, games, as well as webpages. The latter was really useful while at university as it helped me keep my uni-related sites and resources all in one place.”
Of course, it’s not all about work and school for Jay. Lumia’s audio capabilities help him wind down from a busy week.
“Everybody likes to relax and have fun. MixRadio, Spotify and TuneIn Radio help me when I’m on the commute or at study time. They’re also great for house parties, too.”
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Related: Win a Back To School survival kit, here.
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How do you use your Lumia to help you achieve the perfect work-life balance? If you’ve got a story to share, let us know below.