5 Tips for an Uninterrupted Quiet Time

I juggle two professions. I work as a freelance writer and editor and as a dental hygienist. Both jobs are hard on my neck, shoulders, and back. Twenty-eight years of bending forward and peering into people’s mouths have caused degenerative changes in my spine, and spending hours hunched over a keyboard does little to improve the condition. 

About a year ago I consulted a physical therapist, who designed an exercise routine to strengthen my muscles. This regimen, using my big blue exercise ball, and twice-daily traction time, does much to keep me comfortable and pain free. If I get busy and skip my exercises, I suffer for it.

Today I intended to get my exercises done early. As I stretched out on the floor and started crunching, the phone rang. A friend was returning an important phone call from the previous evening, so I jumped up to answer it. 

Winston, photo by K. Hatcher

Ten minutes later, I was back at the ball. This time a neighbor’s knock at the door interrupted my pushups. After swapping an empty cup for a pint of milk, I was back at it again. When Winston ran into the room and heaved on the carpet, I gave up. 

My exercise routine is a lot like my quiet time some days. I know it’s important. It’s good for me. I feel better and stronger when I take the time to exercise my spiritual muscles through Bible reading and prayer, but invariably, life works very hard to interrupt it.

Over the years I’ve discovered a few tips that help minimize interruptions:

1.  Commit the first minutes of each day to reading God’s word. When my children were young, this meant I had to set my alarm so I’d awaken earlier than they did. And that was pretty early. Prayer expert Becky Tirabassi’s words challenged me, “It’s better to be sleep deprived than God deprived.” To compensate for less sleep, I'd try to get to bed 30 minutes earlier.

2.  Use a prayer journal to help focus your thoughts. If I have a written list of people and situations for which I am praying, my mind is less likely to drift.

3.  Keep a notepad nearby. If a thought comes to mind that tempts me to do something “right now, so I won’t forget,” I jot it down on my pad and go right back to my prayer time without fear of forgetting.

4.  Train your children not to interrupt if they see Mommy reading her Bible. When my daughters were little, I’d allow them to climb up on my bed with their Bible storybooks as long as they were quiet and didn’t talk. It took some training, but it was very sweet to have our quiet times together.

5.  If you’re unable to awaken earlier than your children, commit the first part of your child’s naptime to Bible reading and prayer. Resist the urge to jump into “more productive” activities. Time spent in God’s Word will give you direction and strength to better accomplish the tasks of your day.

Do you struggle with life interrupting your quiet times? What suggestions do you have for making time with God a priority? Leave a comment in the box below and join the conversation. If you're reading by email, click here to leave a comment

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