Beat morning dress stress

Create a 'look book'

When stylists help create "wardrobes" for their clients they'll often spend a day with them putting complete outfits together and taking Polaroids for reference. You don't need a stylist to create a work-look book though. At the beginning of the season, get a friend to help take the photos and spend a day creating top-to-toe outfits — remember to include shoes and accessories, too. Try to create at least 10 looks so you'll have two full weeks of outfits to rotate. That might seem a lot but remember you can mix and match items of clothing (that new shirt, or your favourite tunic dress), as much as you like. Once you have all your outfit photos, stick them to the back of your wardrobe, or compile them in an album for easy morning dressing.

Tidy your wardrobe

If you can see and reach all the clothes in your wardrobe easily, dressing in the morning will be a lot less stressful. Investing in good quality hangers (think wood or sturdy plastic and clip-hangers for pants and skirts) saves on ironing time in the morning because clothes aren't as likely to crease in your cupboard. Men, keep ties stored on tie racks so they don't emerge from the wardrobe a crushed mess.

Be season-specific

A jumble of warm and cold-weather clothes crammed into your wardrobe makes selecting a work outfit a challenge. Try dividing your work wardrobe into winter and summer (some of your staples will work all year round). Taking out those lightweight dresses when winter hits and storing those heavier jumpers during summer will create closet space and make finding the right thing to wear easier. Store items you don't need in another cupboard if you have one, or fold them into airtight plastic tubs or vacuum-seeled bags and pop them under your bed until you need them again.

Be brand loyal

We're not suggesting becoming a slave to one particular brand but it does make good dressing sense to buy a few items from the one store, as brands tend to sell clothes that work together. Ask the store assistants to advise you on what items they recommend pairing, and then consider buying an entire outfit (for example a skirt, jacket and coordinating shirt, or tie and shirt for men). Brands also tend to sell clothes that go with their previous seasons so you'll find matching last year's work clothes with this year's easier if you stick to a few favourite stores.

Keep shoes neat

Shoeboxes may protect your shoes from getting damaged, but they make it hard to find what you're looking for each morning. Try visiting a storage shop for some clever shoe-storage ideas, such as shoe racks or clear shoeboxes for easy selecting. Or try taking a photo of each pair of shoes and tape it to the front of the shoebox. Knowing what you've got means you'll wear all your shoes more often rather than just grab the pair you wore yesterday because you're short on time.

Tips for a better work/life balance

Work, kids, social and family commitments … are they all getting on top of you? Then it's time to take a step back and put some balance into your life.

Read our top tips for getting your work and home life stress-free and back on the right track.

Look after your health
Your health should always be your number one priority. If you're not in top shape both mentally and physically, it will affect all areas of your life. Stress is one of the biggest causes of poor health. To combat this, get enough sleep, eat regularly and choose healthy options, take time out for relaxation, and exercise at least three times a week.

Take time out for yourself
As much as your work and family takes priority in your life, it's important that you schedule "me time". Taking just one hour, once a week to do something for yourself can do wonders for your wellbeing — and your relationships and career will benefit too.

It doesn't need to be a visit to a day spa (although that's a great idea!) — take a novel to the park and enjoy the outdoors, play a round of golf, visit the gym or go for a long, relaxing walk ... just make sure you get away from it all and give your mind a chance to wander.

Manage your time
Learn how to use your time more effectively — both at work and home. Poor time management can result in a loss of hours and contribute greatly to your stress levels. Enrol in a time management course or implement some simple time management techniques:

• create to-do lists and prioritise tasks,
• avoid time wasters like surfing the Web and e-mail,
• share the load (both at work and home wherever you can),
• set yourself time limits and boundaries.

Learn to say "no"
Taking on too many tasks can be to your detriment. Learn to say no to things when there's too much on your plate. This applies to both work and personal events/tasks. Rather than feeling guilty, you'll learn that saying "no" can be really empowering.

Separate work and family life
Australia may be a laid-back nation but as workers, we are working longer and longer hours. And many of us are "addicted to work" and failing to separate our working life from our family life. Is this you?

Learn to turn off the laptop after hours and resist checking your e-mails at all hours of the day and night. Ideally the minute you leave the office, you should leave your working life behind. For many this isn't possible, but be sure to give yourself plenty of "unplugged" time during your weekends and nights — that means no laptop, no e-mail and no mobile phone.

Find a flexible employer
Searching for a new position? More and more employers these days are catering for a more flexible workplace. Look for options like flexible hours, working from home, job sharing, onsite childcare facilities and family-friendly offices.

Use up your annual leave
Most of us are allowed four weeks or more annual leave a year, but rarely take it. Remember, it's there for a reason — to provide you with some much needed R&R.

Take a career break
If work's getting too much and your health's really suffering, taking time out to think about your career and what really matters in your life could be the perfect solution. Use up any outstanding annual leave or enquire about leave without pay. Take a short sabbatical and use the time wisely to evaluate your goals and life plan.