yato yato niscalati  /  manas cancalam asthiram
tatas tato niyamyaitad  / atmany eva vasam nayet

From wherever the mind wanders due to its flickering and unsteady nature, one must certainly withdraw it and bring it back under the control of the Self.

Bhagavad-gita 6.26

We should take the name of God as a medicine. The guru is like a doctor who is giving us this medicine. Medicine must be taken regularly in order to have proper effect. Even if we have good medicine, if we do not take it regularly, according to the prescription, we will experience minimal effects. We sometime use a mala or a rosary to chant; it regulates our chanting. We have our regular time everyday where we have nothing else to do or think about, but absorb our consciousness in the sweet and beautiful sound of God’s name.

As we begin chanting our mind is going to run everywhere. It is natural. Do not worry. Because now our mind is like a restless child. What is the nature of child? Always running where it should not. What is the duty of the mother? Just to bring it back. By constantly bringing it back, that child becomes trained and knows what is right and what is wrong and stays where he or she is supposed to be. We have to train our mind just like we train our children. We chant the name of God and the mind is running to our business, it’s running to our family affairs, and it is running everywhere else. Wherever it goes just bring it back to the holy name. Bring it back attentively keeping it with the name and eventually mind will become purified. - Radhanath Swami