Short answer
Start with what Allah made obligatory, above all the five daily prayers, then add voluntary worship. In a hadith qudsi Allah says His servant draws near to Him by nothing more beloved than the obligations, and keeps drawing near through extra deeds until Allah loves him. Sujood, dua, dhikr and the Quran are the main paths.
Nearness to Allah (qurb) is gained by doing the fard and wajib acts, leaving the haram, and then increasing in sunnah and nafl worship with sincerity. This nearness is of honour and love, not of physical distance, as al-Fiqh al-Akbar explains, since Allah is not contained by place.
The four schools agree on this.
Explanation
Allah says: "when My servants ask you concerning Me, indeed I am near. I respond to the invocation of the supplicant when he calls upon Me" (2:186). You do not need a go-between to talk to Him. Speak to Him in dua, in any language, at any time.
The hadith qudsi in al-Bukhari gives the order. Allah says: "My servant does not draw near to Me with anything more beloved to Me than what I have made obligatory upon him, and My servant keeps drawing near to Me with voluntary deeds until I love him." So the first step is not something exotic: it is praying the five prayers on time, fasting Ramadan, paying zakat and being just to people.
Then build on it. The Prophet ﷺ said the servant is closest to his Lord while in sujood, so make much dua there; the Quran says "prostrate and draw near" (96:19). Add the sunnah prayers, some tahajjud at night, a daily portion of Quran, and dhikr through the day. Allah says in another hadith qudsi that if His servant draws near a hand span, He draws near an arm's length.
Two more things help a great deal: leave a sin that keeps pulling you back, and keep good company. Small and steady beats big and short-lived. Tools like the salah tracker and the dua collection can help you build the habit.
The evidence
Quran, Surah Al-Baqara 2:186
وَإِذَا سَأَلَكَ عِبَادِى عَنِّى فَإِنِّى قَرِيبٌ ۖ أُجِيبُ دَعْوَةَ ٱلدَّاعِ إِذَا دَعَانِ ۖ فَلْيَسْتَجِيبُوا۟ لِى وَلْيُؤْمِنُوا۟ بِى لَعَلَّهُمْ يَرْشُدُونَ ﴿١٨٦﴾
And when My servants ask you, [O Muhammad], concerning Me - indeed I am near. I respond to the invocation of the supplicant when he calls upon Me. So let them respond to Me [by obedience] and believe in Me that they may be [rightly] guided.
Shows Allah is near and hears every dua.
Quran, Surah Al-Alaq 96:19
كَلَّا لَا تُطِعْهُ وَٱسْجُدْ وَٱقْتَرِب ۩ ﴿١٩﴾
No! Do not obey him. But prostrate and draw near [to Allah].
Links sujood with nearness to Allah.
Sahih al-Bukhari 6502
Sahih... وَمَا تَقَرَّبَ إِلَىَّ عَبْدِي بِشَىْءٍ أَحَبَّ إِلَىَّ مِمَّا افْتَرَضْتُ عَلَيْهِ ...
"My servant does not draw near to Me with anything more beloved to Me than what I have made obligatory upon him."
Puts the obligations first on the path to Allah.
Sahih Muslim 482
Sahih... أَقْرَبُ مَا يَكُونُ الْعَبْدُ مِنْ رَبِّهِ وَهُوَ سَاجِدٌ فَأَكْثِرُوا الدُّعَاءَ ...
"The servant is closest to his Lord while he is in prostration, so make much dua."
Points to sujood and dua as the closest moments.
Sahih al-Bukhari 7405
Sahih... وَإِنْ تَقَرَّبَ إِلَىَّ بِشِبْرٍ تَقَرَّبْتُ إِلَيْهِ ذِرَاعًا ...
"If he draws near to Me a hand span, I draw near to him an arm's length."
Shows Allah's response is greater than the servant's effort.
Where the ruling is recorded
- al-Fiqh al-Akbar (Imam Abu Hanifa), Section on nearness to Allah. States that nearness to and distance from Allah are not by length of distance but by honour and disgrace.
- Riyad al-Salihin (al-Nawawi), Chapter on striving in worship. Opens with the hadith qudsi on drawing near through obligations and voluntary deeds.
Checked by our team. For a more accurate answer to your own situation, consult a scholar. Quran translation by Sahih International. Hadith Arabic from the standard editions of the six books and the Muwatta, with gradings as recorded there; the English is our own rendering. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.