Sometimes, you are your own illustration.
Yesterday was a rather unique day for me. It was the first time I had worked an opening shift at American Eagle and had to show up early to clean the store. I set my alarm the night before to ensure I had plenty of time to get ready for the day and make it to work on time. Still, I ended up racing out the door and arriving just in time for my shift. That morning was rough; 6 hours of work and a fairly busy day at the store (schools were closed due to the intense cold, I'd guess people came to the mall to pass the time). By the end of my shift that afternoon I was completely drained, and I really didn't know why. I'd worked in the store on far busier days, but that day had taken everything out of me.
I realized the reason for my fatigue as soon as I left the store. In all my hurrying to get ready in the morning, I had not spent any time in prayer or in Scripture.
I had not taken the time to declare my reliance on God for His strength in the morning, so I was running on my own strength into the afternoon. That limited source of energy was completely wiped by 2:00 PM. I spent the drive home praying and singing praises to God. Then I came home and dove into His Word. It was so refreshing, and exactly what I had needed.
Don't let this be you! Don't let yourself think, "I can take care of that later." No, you need that time right now. Everything else can wait.
Our culture is so focused on making everything fit our schedule, that we have made ourselves more important than God. We relegate Him to a time that is most convenient for us, instead of letting Him dictate our days for us. (and His plans are infinitely better than what we could come up with) We have a chance each morning to communicate with the Creator of the universe, and we still choose to move along with our day often without giving Him a single thought.
I don't want this to sound like a criticism of anyone in particular; to be honest, I'm criticizing myself. Time in prayer and the Word of God should be the first importance in our lives. If you struggle with praying, pray that God would give you a passion for prayer. It doesn't take more than 15 minutes a day to read about 3 chapters in the Bible, and if you keep that up you will have read through the whole Bible in the span of a year. There are apps and programs that can give you a daily reading plan and will send you reminders to ensure that you stay on top of it.
You need to take an active step in order to start this, as well as to see it through. And take it from me, you don't want to go into every day on your own strength. It most certainly will not be enough.