How to Create an Effective Quiet Time Routine and Spend More Time with God

Our time with God is the most important activity we do each day. In fact, spending quality time with God shapes the outcome of the rest of our day. You may have a lot going on each day but that’s never a reason to neglect spending quiet time with God. We shouldn’t just squeeze time in whenever we have a free moment, either. We should carve out the time intentionally every single day. If you are curious about how to create an effective quiet time routine with God, I will walk you through a few simple steps you can take to start. 

What is quiet time with God?

Quiet time with God is simply time spent with little or no distractions where you allow God to pour into you. It can be done first thing in the morning or at another time within the day depending on your schedule. Personally, I think the morning is best because it’s a way to literally put God first. But, I know that mornings are not always practical for everyone. The key is to make sure that your quiet time is intentional and with little distractions. This means, put away your phone, don’t check your email, refrain from having conversations, and stay away from loud and noisy places. 

Why is quiet time important? 

Quiet time is important because it’s a way to hear from God without all the noise and distractions. It also helps to set the tone for your entire day. I’ve noticed that on days when I’ve skipped quiet time, I was extra anxious, irritable, and mentally drained. Even if the day was set to be a busy one, when I put God first, somehow I got a burst of energy, I was more productive, and I had more peace throughout the day. Things that seemed like they would be extremely challenging wasn’t as bad as I imagined they would be. 

Quiet time is also a great way to practice discipline and show your dedication to God. Christianity is about so much more than accepting Jesus, it’s also about walking with him. Walking with him means doing things that are sometimes inconvenient, annoying, and challenging. 

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What are the benefits of quiet time with God?

Draws you closer to God

Quiet time helps to grow your faith by pulling you closer to God. The more time you spend with someone, the more you get to know them. It’s the same with God. Spending time with God helps you to develop true intimacy with him as he teaches you deep truths you can’t find on the surface. Jesus showed his disciples the “secrets of the kingdom,” not because they were perfect or more holy than anyone else, but because they spent time with him. (Matt 13:11)

Refreshes your heart and soul

I don’t know about you, but I need daily time to sit and simply reflect. There’s so much going on in my life and my heart, and honestly, I’m always busy. But, we can’t go nonstop without any rest. We need time to reset and refresh our heart and soul. This is how we will have the strength to take on the challenges of the day. Spending quiet time with God refreshes your heart and soul so that you can show up ready to have a productive and successful day. 

Gives you time to hear from God and receive direction

If you never stop to listen, how will you know what decisions to make in life? If we believe that God guides our lives, then we need to take time to listen to his guidance. Quiet time with God helps you to do this well. While God is always speaking, we don’t always have the ears to hear. We need to create space to slow down, listen, and then act according to God’s word.

Time for peace before a hectic day

Quiet time with God gives you an opportunity to be at peace before your day gets hectic and busy. Sometimes the days can be so long and busy and you just want to get away from it. If you want to avoid burnout and exhaustion, it’s important to spend some time in peace and quiet with God. 

What should you do during quiet time?

Now that you know the importance of spending quiet time with God, you may be wondering, what should you do during quiet time to make it effective? Quiet time routines look different for everyone because we’re all different people with different needs. But, I will share what has been working for me for the past three years. 

Wake up and brew a warm cup of tea or coffee

I wake up around 5:15am each morning so I can have a good 45 min to spend in quiet time before work. I like to have something to drink during my morning quiet time because it helps me stay awake. My drink of choice is tea. 

Put on some worship music

I play worship music to keep me focused on God. Worship music gets me thinking about God and how good he is, and even when I don’t feel like being up so early in the morning, it guides my heart back to the right posture. Worship music is also great for simply closing your eyes, meditating, and soaking in God’s presence. 

Read your Bible

Next, I read my Bible. I have a pretty set plan of what I’m reading so I just continue on in my routine. It’s good to follow a Bible study routine because it prevents the decision fatigue that can often plague us. Sometimes the reason it’s hard for us to remain consistent in a goal or habit is because we have to make a new decision every time we choose to practice that habit. I highly recommend having a Bible study routine so you can stick to it more easily. 

Pray for a few minutes

Don’t forget to add prayer to your quiet time routine. It’s so important to talk with God each day. Prayer is simply a conversation between you and God. Talk to him and don’t forget to listen so that he can speak to your heart. 

Write out any thoughts in your journal

Journaling is a great aspect of a quiet time routine. Sometimes we have so many thoughts in our heads that we don’t know how to process simply because we haven’t written them down. Write down your thoughts so you can see them clearly and address as needed. I’ll also journal my prayers sometimes too. This is especially helpful for me when everyone else is up and about. I personally like to keep my prayer time as private as possible, so I write them down when there are too many distractions around to pray out loud. 

Express gratitude and thanksgiving

Finally, express gratitude and thanksgiving to God. I keep a gratitude journal and write down a few things I’m thankful for each day. Sometimes it does get redundant but the point is to cultivate a heart of thanksgiving. There will be days when it’s hard to give thanks. Having a record of things you’re thankful for will help you on those days. 

5 tips for creating an effective quiet time routine

1. Know why quiet time is important to you

Are you choosing to start a quiet time routine to spend quality time with God or are you doing it because it sounds cool? If you’re choosing to have quiet time with God for the wrong reasons, it won’t be spiritually effective for you. Instead, it will begin to feel like a chore. Know why quiet time is important to you and only do it if you intent to honestly seek God.

2. Create a plan you can stick to 

Next, create a plan you can actually stick to. Don’t create a fancy plan because someone else is doing it or because it will look perfect and instagrammable. Quiet time won’t always look perfect but if you create a good plan, it will be effective for you.  You may have to tweak and experiment with different plans and that’s totally okay. Once you find something that works, stick to it for the best results. 

3. Choose a time and place

Having a consistent place and time is really helpful for creating an effective quiet time routine. When everything is the same, your brain can easily create a habit. The great thing about habits is that even if you don’t feel like doing your routine one morning, you’ll still be able to because it’s a habit. Also remember that quiet time doesn’t have to last a certain amount of hours. It can be 15, 30, 45, or even 60 minutes. Just be sure to spend all of the time with God and without distractions. 

4. Work with fluctuations in your schedule 

While it is important to choose a time and place and remain consistent with it, sometimes that’s not possible. If your schedule changes or is unstable for a few days, work with it. 

5. Don’t try to make it perfect

Quiet time isn’t supposed to be perfect, don’t worry if it isn’t. The most important thing about quiet time is to make sure that you are spending time with God with little or no distractions. If that’s happening, you’re okay even if it’s not perfect. 

Quiet time is an excellent way to seek God first and hear from him before you approach your busy day. God wants to fellowship with us daily, not just on Sunday for a couple hours at church. The Bible tells us to seek God first and then all that we need will be added to us. Many of us are doing it in reverse and wondering why we don’t have what we need. Seek God first in quiet time and watch your life transform dramatically.