Get into “relax” mode quicker

Tend to be in a blah mood when you get home? “Make a ‘play soundtrack’,” says Janet McNally, a Sydney-based transformation coach. “Put your 10 favourite songs on it and dance like Madonna for 15 minutes – it changes your mood and allows your to have a great evening. You need to break you day.”

Make your runners fit better

Running shoes not quite doing it for you? Try these relacing tips before you consign them to the scrap heap

- Heels don’t stay put

Lace up shoes normally, but after the second-last eyelet, don’t cross laces over. Instead, thread the lace through the top hole on the same side to make a loop. Now cross the laces over and thread through the loop on each side. Pull tight and tie up.

- Shoes feel tight near the toes

“The shoe should be snug only in the back two-thirds,” says podiatrist Paul Langer. “You should have wiggle room for your toes.” To let the ball of your foot breathe, start one lace two eyelets up from the toes, lace it firmly towards your ankle, and tie in a bow. Then start a shorter lace in those second-to-last eyelets and lace it gently up to your toes, the tie it up.

- High arches

To alleviate some of the pressure on your instep, lace the traditional way to the third or fourth eyelet. Then, instead of crossing laces over again, thread them through the next eyelet on the same side. Crisscross the rest of the way up and tie in a bow.

...Then get your run just right

Best way to motivate yourself to finish your run as fast as you started? Run to music at the right pace for you. Head to bestworkoutmusic.com to search for songs with the best bpms for you, then make a playlist and off you go.

Be more production

“Each Sunday, write down everything you need to do in that week, from your cleaning to activities like decluttering,” says Janet McNally. “Ticking each one off when you’ve seen each activity through gives you a sense of achievement and the productivity flows from there.”

Back up your hard drive
Freelance IT expert Ryan Sabir on how to avoid that “Didn’t you back it up” moment:
* Basic: store a copy of your files onto a portable USB drive, or email them to an external email address. (The downside to this strategy: remembering to manually back up each day.)

* Automatic back up: grab an external hard drive from your local computer store (it should set you back about $120). Most computers now come with built in back-up programs – for Windows 7 use Backup and Restore in the System and Security Control panel. For Mac OS, use the included Time Machine software. You can format it to suit what you want backed up and at what time each day.

For more big easy tips - click here.

For the full feature, pick up the WH August issue - on sale Monday July 19th