1. Be intentional. Resisit bothering God when your bored.
2. Use discipline and regularity in prayer. Listen to God as you pray.
3. Prayer is not a magic formula. Be cautious in your requests.
4. Be humble. As Samuel Coleridge wrote, "He prayest best who lovest best."
5. Prayer is not chat. Fewer words leave God more room to answer.
6. Do not hold God responsible for adversity. It rains on the just and unjust alike.
7. Don't expect inspiration. Even mystics experience dry spells.
8. Resist the urge to remake God in your own image. God is not co-pilot or comrade. God is a mystery.
9. Pray, always, for others.
10. Conclude every prayer, "not as I will, but as you will."

From Breaking Through God's Silence: A Guide to Effective Prayer

by David Yount