Seven Tips for Creating a Prayer Habit

1. Chart your time for a week or two.

It is really easy to feel like we have no time or that we are JUST THAT BUSY. However, the truth is that most people do not naturally use time wisely. Last April after reading Holly Pierlot's book A Mother's Rule of Life: How to Bring Order to Your Home and Peace to Your Soul, I bought her companion e-book that had tracking sheets available. So, for a week I wrote down what I did each day by the hour. MIND BLOWN. I spent so much time either finding things I needed or "taking breaks" to check social media or Amazon shopping (why it is so easy? oh, the mind sucking power of Amazon). I suggest being brutally honest with yourself. Write down everything you do even if it is checking your phone or watching TV or actually mopping the floor. Moreover, keeping track of what the chickadees are doing at the same time can better determine when they will be best for letting you have prayer time.

2. Set an intention, find a book, pick a prayer/devotion, or get a journal.

Look for something that will draw you back again and again. You are going to want to be excited about this prayer time, seeking it out each day. I do really well with a specific starting goal like a 54 day rosary novena or picking one book on which to concentrate.

3. Pick a manageable time increment to start the journey; five or ten minutes a day adds up to a substantial amount of time over a lifetime.

For a book, maybe reading a chapter a day, or a set number of pages is less overwhelming. When I was reading Louis De Montfort's True Devotion to Mary: with Preparation for Total Consecration  I read only 5 pages a day, by the 33rd day the book was finished. Once the habit is kept, adding more time can be re-evaluated as fruitful or not. What's important in the beginning is just starting.

4. Have everything you need like your book or journal and pens ready for when you sit down to pray.

Creating a space for those specific items allows you to quickly get into prayer mode. In turn, you are less likely to forgo your planned time with God because an item is lost. I have an orange bag my husband bought me back in college that I use to store my current books, journals, etc. I find that picking a specific spot also helps with creating a routine. After lunch and our afternoon lessons, I pick up my bag and teacup and sit down on the couch in the living room while the chickadees watch a show or play on their leap pads.

5. Battle Buddy it up.

Pair up with a good friend that also would like to create a set prayer time. Oftentimes, a friend can help nudge us into better habits by giving us a place to vent, voice our frustrations, find solutions, and keep accountability. Moreover, it's great to have someone to text you a motivational message or call with a reminder, when the morning has been spent cleaning poo or peanut butter or whatever that was off of the living room walls, to search out God. Moving to Fort Drum two years ago, I found a great faith study group on post. Those first few months allowed me to find new friends, to thrive in a new environment, and to belong to a community of like-minded individuals. If a battle buddy isn't available, pick a Saint!

6. Break out those gold foil stars and a calendar.

Track your progress each day for a month. It is not wrong to show growth. It is not wrong to feel accomplished at establishing a routine. It is not wrong to miss a day or two. On days that I am not able to pray or make my scheduled time, I write down on the calendar why I was not able to complete it. I usually can "make up" the time later that night (I also write that down) but other times I can't make it up like having a baby in your living room. Life happens, so...

7. KEEP TRYING.