Sometimes it seems like as soon as I decide that I’m going to set aside time to spend with the Lord, my phone starts ringing, the neighbor’s dog trees a coon and won’t stop barking at the top of his lungs, and someone turns on the TV featuring my favorite show. One of the biggest keys to having an effective devotional life is setting yourself up to succeed.

Here are a few tips for getting started the right way:

Supplies. Make sure you have a Bible (in a version you can understand), journal, pen, and maybe a devotional book. We’ll talk more about this stuff later.

Pick a time. The mornings are the best time (see Psalm 5:3). I know, I know: teenagers aren’t functional before 10 AM. Well, I would have to disagree. I have a friend who started waking up at 5:30 AM to spend time with the Lord in his teen years and he’s been doing it for seven years now. If you absolutely find it physically impossible to spend time with the Lord in the morning, try to choose a time when your house is quiet and you can get time alone. The most important thing is trying to be consistent, so if you snooze through the alarm, try to make time later in the day.

Get by yourself. This can be particularly difficult if you share a room or have a big family. Be on the lookout for times during the day where you can find a place to be alone. Right now, going outside could work really well.

Turn stuff off. Try to remove all of the distractions in your room. Turn off the TV, computer, and (gasp!) phone. I promise, if you turn your phone off for 30 minutes, it will still be there beeping, vibrating, and lighting up when you turn it back on.

Clear your mind. Even when I turn off my phone, TV, and computer, sometimes I can’t turn off my wandering thoughts. As soon as I decide to focus, I think of things I need to do, people I need to call, what I might wear, or what haircut I want to get next. All of these are clearly relevant and important trains of thought, but not necessarily what I want to be thinking about. Sometimes if I just write down what I’m thinking about to remind myself of it later, I can clear my mind of it. Sometimes, I just have to pray that the Lord will help my focus my thoughts on Him.

Turn on some tunes. Sometimes it helps to have some worship music playing softly to help you stay focused. I like to make a mix of some of my favorite slower songs. Even though it’s worship, sometimes fast, loud music can be just as distracting as listening to the radio.

This will put you in a great place to start. We’ll keep talking about how to pray, read the Bible, and choose a good devotional book.