Nice to hear from you and take silvr up as a challenge. This is what I did and it helped me.
1.Try and book WT tickets in H class where ever possible on BA. I have had amazing luck with flights and have been on H class for barely £40 more than discounted bucket. Look at ticket buckets to understand this. You get double the Tier points.
2. Long haul flights I try and split them into to short haul flights specially to the US. A strategic stop got me 35+35 instead of 35 or 35+10 TPs.
3. In the online section of your BAEC, Manage your booking area, there will usually be a limited offer to upgrade to WT+ or CW. It varies but in shorthaul Europe it is £79 or£89. WHat I have started doing is booking Handbag only fares (£20 quid cheaper than regular fares) and then upgrading to the WT+ or CW as these then give you full allowance and full TPs as well.
4. If you do number 3 above, you also change your ticket bucket. So if you booked deep discounted you now get into full fare WT+ or CW. WHat this means is now you can use your Avios to upgrade to the next class (if you want, specially long haul flights it helps, doesnt earn you anymore though, just your full TP's for the paid upgrade). But look at it this way this paid upgrade from WT to WT+ is usually £199 or £219 for long haul flights, basically jumps you from deep discounted to maybe even CW.
5. If manage your booking is not available online, they nearly ALWAYS have it at the airports in the UK atleast. I know it is more money, but if you can you should.
6. The good thing abut silver is you stack up those Avios really really quickly. Ever transatlantic return flight gives you close to 20,000 points which are easily one if not two return European shorthauls plus £35 taxes, or use them in America on AA and pay £1 taxes usually.

Lastly, try and fly US airways ticketed flights if possible. FOr reasons unknown, they dont have a deep discount TP on BAEC. WHich means any ticket in economy long haul will give you 70 TPs. So you may still fly on BA metal, but get double TPs and even double Avios (Avios till june 30th) as long as you ticket it on US airways.

Have fun!!