Cora's Cottage

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links and I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you when you use a link.

The infamous morning quiet time is something I have been chasing for years. Every time I think that I am getting close, life shifts and my perfectly crafted morning quiet time comes crashing down.

I tried for a long time to make it look picture perfect like all the pictures we see on Pinterest or Instagram. I would curl up in my favorite chair with a fuzzy blanket, a hot mug of tea, my Bible, all my favorite highlighters and pens, and a pretty journal. However, I have come to realize that setting such high expectations for my morning quiet time has been the biggest obstacle in being able to stick with a consistent morning quiet time.

Life would get crazy and I wouldn’t have time, or the desire for all the pomp and circumstance I had created around my morning quiet time . . . so I just wouldn’t do a morning quiet time at all. During my most recent crazy season, I was able to figure out the keys to sitting down for my morning quiet time even when I didn’t feel like it.

These are the 5 items that I found worked well for me to stay on track with my quiet time, so try out what might work for you and leave what doesn’t. Try a lot of different things, research and experiment with different products and processes, and most importantly, don’t hang onto a product or processes that isn’t helping you as you sit down for your morning quiet time.

A Bible

I know this one seems super straight forward and ridiculous, but I found that I needed to have a physical copy of the Bible in front of me and not just the Bible app on my phone. When I tried to read using the Bible app on the my phone, I would get distracted and end up scrolling Instagram or Pinterest instead of doing my morning quiet time.

I haven’t found the perfect Bible for me yet, but I have discovered that I love ESV (English Standard Version) study Bibles. The only problem I have is that I love to write and take notes as I read things that catch my eye, and ESV study Bibles I have found so far don’t have a lot of room in the margins. (Calling all Bible manufacturers to make a study bible with journal margins, please, please, please!)

A good, sound, Biblical commentary or study THAT YOU LIKE

Again, saying you should have one you like seems super obvious, but I have the type of personality that if I start something, I have to finish it no matter how much I don’t like it. I don’t tend to use plans or studies myself, because I am also someone who gets frustrated and upset if I do not follow the plan or study EXACTLY. However, I do listen to some podcasts of groups and people who have studies that I would totally use, if I used studies.

1. Kate and Kal Co. (@kateandkalco on Instagram)
2. The Daily Grace Co (@thedailygraceco on Instagram)
3. She Reads Truth (@shereadstruth on Instagram)

Since I do not use studies or plans , I typically pick a book of the Bible or a topic to study and go at my own pace. I use Biblically sound commentaries, a Hebrew and Greek key word Bible, and my study Bible to help me dig deeper. One of the commentaries I have found that I really like, Enduring Word Bible Commentary, has both physical commentaries you can purchase or they have an app and website that can be accessed for free.

A Simple Journal

Simple journals might seem boring, but I have found that they help keep me focused and give me an open canvas for taking notes. I have been using a simple composition notebook to take notes during my quiet time for almost two years now and I love them. They are easy to write in no matter which side of the page I am on because they do not have the spiral in the middle. This means that I can use the whole page on both sides, and my handwriting doesn’t get funky along the edge of the page.

Pens, Pencils, & Highlighters You Enjoy Using

Using pens, pencils, or highlighters that you don’t like just makes the whole experience unenjoyable. It has taken me some trial and error, but I have found a couple different Bible highlighters that I like, as well as some pencils and Bible pens.

When I am looking for a good Bible highlighter, I want something that isn’t going to bleed all the way through the page. The first type of highlighters I have found are chalk highlighters. These are a good highlighter, but they aren’t the most ascetically pleasing highlighter and it can take a couple layers to get a good highlight. Recently, I found some highlighters by DiverseBee that are more gel-like. I really like these highlighters as they glide really nicely when I am highlighting, which was one drawback to the chalk highlighters, without bleeding through the pages of my Bible. These highlighters also come with more colors in the pack and there are a couple different packs to chose from.

Until recently, I didn’t even know that Bible pens existed. Now that I do, I love them! They are fine tipped and don’t bleed through the pages of my Bible making them perfect for note-taking both in my journal and in the margins of my Bible. Before I discovered Bible pens, I used pencil to write in my Bible, which is how I stumbled across some super nice mechanical pencils by COLNK. They fit perfectly into my hand, have metal clips instead of plastic, and are built super sturdy which is great for someone who tends to break plastic BIC pencils. These pencils are a little more pricy, but trust me they are worth every penny.

A Booklight

I get made fun of all the time for my book lights, but I don’t care because they are a game changer! They clip right onto my Bible or journal, have three different light settings, are rechargeable, and have an adjustable neck that allows me to move light however I like. I use these all the time and have multiple stashed in various locations. (Ask my husband, they are everywhere in our house!) They make it so that I can read and do my quiet time anywhere in the house no matter how much light I have otherwise.

While this is far from an exhaustive the list of things that I use for my quiet times, or that I could use in a quiet time, these are the essentials that I have found make the difference for me. The biggest thing I had to keep in my on my journey to find these items is that I was not stuck with having to use the same type of products or materials for the rest of my life. It took trial and error to find these items, and I am sure that over time my preferences in items will change completely. Ultimately, it comes down to being willing to change what isn’t working until you find something that is working for you!