Prayer has tremendous potential for spiritual elevation and intense pleasure.
How to have an elevating prayer experience
On one extreme, some people think that the object of prayer is to just rattle off words. On the other extreme, some people try so hard to pray properly that they become very tense and nervous.
Have an elevating prayer experience by calmly recite the words, while keeping in mind that you are speaking to the Omniscient Creator of the Universe. Whenever an external thought comes into your mind, gently return your focus to what you were saying in your prayers. You need not fight other thoughts, do not try to force out distractions. Rather, just ignore them, and return to thinking about the meaning of what you are saying.
If the thoughts that come up concern a practical problem that must be dealt with, set a time later in the day when you will address that matter.
Daily prayer is an ongoing exercise in serenity. When we pray, we have a greater awareness that we are addressing our Father, our King, Creator and Sustainer of the universe. We connect with the consciousness that 'ain ode milvado', that is, nothing else exists besides Him. Our very lives and welfare are totally a gift from the Almighty.