Photos by Tara

Hi guys, I hope you all had a great weekend! Ever since coming back from Ireland a few weeks ago, I feel like my mornings have been a little more productive & easier than usual. Each time after I travel back, I always wake crazy early for a full week feeling as fresh as a daisy and, for some reason, I feel like that habit has just stuck with me this time. So I’ve adjusted my routine a little and I feel like it’s really working for me. Seeing as a lot of you ask me on Snapchat (@retroflame1), I thought it would be helpful to share with you the steps I take to help me be a morning person. Now don’t get me wrong, some days I am absolutely stuck to the bed if I stay up late on my laptop the night before but overall, mornings have become a lot easier for me and as a result, my whole day is better too. Here are some tips which will hopefully transform your mornings too…

1. Make A Commitment

This is 100% the most important tip because it gets you out of the bed which, lets face it, can be the hardest part! We all say we will get up early and go to the gym but that snooze button can often be far too tempting some mornings. However, I find if you book a class in the gym, schedule a PT session or arrange a time to meet a friend for a walk/run,  you are much less likely to flake on the plan. I have been booking in to a 6:30/7am sessions most mornings lately and although I curse how early it is some mornings, it really does make me feel so ready and energized for the rest of the day. Trust me – you will feel so much better once you’re up and out & it will become a habit in no time.

2. Keep Your Fridge Full

Am I the only person who just feels SO much better & ready for the week with a full fridge? You know what they say, breakfast is the most important meal of the day and it really is so true! I think it is just another physiological thing – if I have a nice breakfast to look forward to after the gym and before I start into work, it just lifts my mood completely. Another good trick I found is to vary your breakfasts throughout the week and that’s where the full fridge comes into it. There’s nothing worse than having the same monotonous breakfast every morning, so be sure to buy a selection of options at the beginning of each week. Every morning, I first have a Revive Active followed by one of my go-to breakfasts at the moment – Acai bowls, granola & yogurt or eggs & avocado. Oh and of course, LOTS of iced coffee! The more organized you are, the smoother & more enjoyable your mornings will be.

3. Plan An Outfit & Accessories (You Love) The Night Before

Then lastly, have your outfit & accessories 100% ready to go the night before. My mom instilled this into me growing up and looking back, I now know why! It’s the oldest trick in the book to make your mornings a little easier and it works every time. I always decide on my outfit, hang it up together in my wardrobe and then lay out my accessories on my dresser. The two accessories I never leave the house without are sunglasses & a watch. You all know by now that CLUSE is the watch brand I wear every single day (I have quite the selection by now, haha!) and depending on what I’ll be wearing, I decide on a watch to match. For my white dress look you can see above, I went for the La Bohéme style in grey, white & rose gold. This one is such a classic & goes with almost everything. It comes in other colours too which you can see HERE. If you organize yourself before going to sleep, not only will you wake up more excited for the day, you will also sleep so much better! I also think it’s so important to pick out an outfit/look that you love –  if you like what you’re wearing, you’ll always have a better day!

…And there you have it, my 3 simple but effective steps to becoming a morning person! I’ve honestly found these little tricks so helpful and I hope you do too! Be sure to follow along on my Snapchat (@retroflame1) & Instagram stories (@retroflame) where I always show snippets of my mornings!

Have a great week!

x Erika

*Huge thank you to CLUSE for partnering on this post.