7 Tips for a Daily Bible Study Habit

Do you read your Bible every day?

At the beginning of each calendar year, many people across America take time to evaluate their lives, think about their goals, and create a list of new habits to get into. For many Christians, one of the top three resolutions listed year after year is building a daily Bible study habit.

And about a month later, Christian or not, most give up and go back to the usual day-to-day routines that they’re used to. Sound familiar?

This struggle with consistency isn’t unique to our generation—it’s been a challenge for believers throughout history. Even in the early Church, people wrestled with sticking to spiritual habits.

 The apostle Paul dealt with the same thing back in the first-century Church, when he wrote to Timothy, 

“Remind them of these things . . . be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:14-15). 

Paul knew how easy it is for people to lose motivation and fall back into old patterns, which is why he encouraged consistency and diligence in studying scripture. 

Our human nature is fickle—we like to stay comfortable, unchallenged and blissfully unaware of our shortcomings. That’s why we tend to drop the good habits that challenge us to overcome our weaknesses. And it’s why we need to be reminded to stay diligent in studying the scriptures.

Think of it this way—Paul wouldn’t have exhorted Timothy to remind his congregation about diligent study if it weren’t possible to overcome our human nature! 

Let’s take a look at seven tips to build a daily Bible study you’ll actually stick to—not just this year, but for the rest of your life.

1. Set a Clear Goal

Start by being clear on exactly what you’re aiming for.

As Proverbs 21:5 reminds us, 

“The plans of the diligent lead surely to plenty, but those of everyone who is hasty, surely to poverty.” 

A clear and well-thought-out plan increases your likelihood of success, even in spiritual goals. 

Most people miss their goals simply because they don’t have any! “I’m going to study the Bible every day” is a vague and non-specific plan, making it hard to stick to. Which parts of the Bible are you going to study? When? For how long?

In the business world, professionals use the acronym SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time-Bound) to outline a goal that will actually lead them somewhere.

An example of a SMART goal in regard to Bible study would be something like:

“I am going to study one chapter of the Bible or study for 10 minutes every day until I finish the Old Testament.”

2. Create a Schedule

Now that you know what you’re going to do, you need to pencil in a time to achieve it.

How much time you spend a day (maybe start with five minutes) or when during the day you choose to study is not the most important thing—just focus on making it consistent!

Some people study better in the morning, some at night. Maybe the best time for you is 15 minutes in the middle of the afternoon on lunch break. Whatever your plan is, make sure it’s something you can consistently stick to. Repetition is the key to good habit-building.

The early Christians in Berea were praised for this very habit: 

“These were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so” (Acts 17:11).

3. Utilize Memory Techniques

You know how when you’re reading something, you sometimes immediately forget it?

Your eyes are poring over the words, but you aren’t actually reading, and you end up having to start all over again?

Yeah, that’s normal—but it’s also detrimental to Bible study. There’s no point in reading if you don’t remember what you read!

James 1:23 paints a vivid picture of this phenomenon: 

“ . . . he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was.” 

We don’t want to walk away from Bible study unchanged or forgetful. 

So, how do you make it stick?

Well, there are a few techniques you can use. If you have never tried any of them before, test them out and see which one works best for you!

1. Review/Summarize

Summarize whatever you just read back to yourself out loud when you’re done reading. This isn’t about reading the chapter out loud. Instead, read the section of scripture, then explain out loud, in your own words, what you just studied to help it stick in your brain.

2. Note-taking

Instead of (or in addition to) saying your summary out loud, write it down. This technique works best when actually writing with pen and paper, as typing into a computer or phone doesn’t make the same connection in the brain as writing by hand does.

3. Teaching

Try to teach someone (i.e., a friend, an unsuspecting sibling, a Bible study partner, a parent, etc.) what you learned as simply as possible. Experts say you have truly mastered a topic if you can explain it clearly and simply to someone who has limited or no knowledge of the subject. This is also one of the best ways to solidify the concept in your mind so that you don’t forget it.

The more you practice these techniques, the better they work. Keep at it!

4. Ask for Help

Reading the Bible can sometimes feel complex. Especially when you’re first starting out, there are going to be some things that you just don’t understand right away. Fortunately, God has provided teachers for you for just this reason. 

Proverbs 12:15 reminds us, 

“The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but he who heeds counsel is wise.” 

Seeking guidance in spiritual matters is a sign of wisdom, not weakness.

Your local pastor was specially ordained and specifically trained to help you understand complex spiritual topics. Ask him for help! Don’t worry if you don’t know him all that well—he will be delighted to hear from you and more than happy to help you.

Your local elders are your pastor’s main support. If he’s not immediately available, you can ask one of them for help as well.

5. Minimize Distractions

There is no end to the number of things that can distract you during Bible study time.

It’s critically important that you study in a quiet, distraction-free environment. Bible study is like having a one-on-one conversation with your Creator. If a friend of yours were checking their phone or interrupting your conversation every five minutes, how would you feel? Would you walk away feeling like you had a fulfilling conversation? 

Minimizing distractions will look different for each person, but some widely applicable tips include:

• Turning your phone off

• Closing your door 

• Finding somewhere to be alone 

• Wearing noise-cancelling headphones 

If you find your mind wandering while you’re trying to focus, just know that it’s normal to feel that way at first. Most of us don’t take the time to sit quietly very often, so our brains will find it hard to focus in the beginning. Just keep at it, and you’ll eventually build the skill of being able to focus through your entire study time.

6. Track Your Progress

One of the most motivational techniques for building a new habit is tracking your progress and celebrating milestones.

As Proverbs 13:19 says, “A desire accomplished is sweet to the soul . . .” Reaching your goals, even small ones, brings a deep sense of satisfaction and encourages you to keep going.

Starting any new habit is hard, but Bible study is particularly challenging because it requires focus and energy and reveals parts of ourselves that need changing (yuck). So celebrate your wins!

Download a habit tracker app or dedicate a notebook to keep track of your progress. Mark it down and celebrate with your favorite sweet treat or fun activity when you hit a new milestone, like “finished ten chapters of Genesis” or “studied the Bible every day for one week.”

Unfortunately, using a habit tracker works both ways. It shows you your successes but also your failures.

One of the most common pitfalls of creating new habits is when you miss a day (or two, or three . . .). Our natural human response is to beat ourselves up, mope and give up on what we are trying to accomplish. Don’t fall into the trap of punishing yourself for messing up (spoiler alert: you’re going to mess up, just like everybody else!). 

Godly repentance leads us to take action, to change what we are doing, and to go in the opposite direction. That process applies to Bible study habits as well. Remember, the only real way you can fail is by not trying at all. So when you miss a day, simply get up and try again tomorrow. 

7. Stay Motivated

It’s easy to let a new habit slip. It takes a person an average of 66 days (or just over two months) of consistent behavior, to form a new habit. 

Paul encouraged the believers in Corinth to follow through on their intentions when he wrote, 

“Now finish the work so that your eager willingness to do it may be matched by your completion of it, according to your means” (2 Corinthians 8:11, New International Version). 

The same applies to your commitment to daily Bible study.

So, how can you stay motivated as you incorporate your new Bible study techniques?

 Humans are very emotional creatures, and our motivations are far more rooted in feelings than in logic. While you do have a logical reason for studying scripture every day, and that logical reason is valid and true, your motivation for sticking to it lies in your emotions.

Remember how you felt when your friend at school challenged you on a biblical question, and you couldn’t answer them? 

Or when your dorm parent at camp asked you to repeat a biblical concept that you should know, but you just couldn’t remember?

Or maybe you’re feeling scared by all of the biblical prophecy unfolding around you, and wishing you had studied more.

We’ve all had moments when a Bible question caught us off guard or when we wished we’d studied a little more. But every bit of effort you invest now helps replace that uncertainty with confidence. Imagine how fulfilling it will feel to speak boldly when your faith is challenged, and how much calmer you’ll feel as you understand more of God’s plan through prophecy. Not only will you gain confidence in answering questions about your faith—you’ll also grow closer to God as you learn to apply His Word in your life.

Finally, remember that God is always with you. When He called you into His church, He already knew your limitations. He promises to help you, and if you do your part and have faith in Him, He will take you to the finish line.

As James 1:25 says, 

“But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.” 

Blessings come not just from reading—but from continuing in the Word daily. Let this be your starting point.

You’ve got this.