What do you do to facilitate understanding of your tefillot so that it's more than rote recitation of difficult words?

When I have time (haven't for about 3+ years now) I will try and concentrate on what the words mean. The other thing I do is try and take the piece and find a direct application to my current life circumstances.
And the last thing I do is actually time myself. For example, shema is allowed to take me no less than X minutes, so I know I have to make sure to get some serious stuff in there for me to reach X. (X=more than usual, but not too much to overburden me to give up)

Read it in English.

Have a siddur with peirushim, or at least available.
Talk to little kids about davening- they often ask very deep questions and they are very curious about it.

Since leaves don't fall by happenstance, my oldest son piped up on the way home from shul on Friday that he would like one of the ArtScroll Interlinear siddurim.

I can't stand those, I find they distract me to the point where I can't daven in ANY language....
The same goes for "Yesod Malchus"....