1. Start preparing for the month of Ramadhaan well in advance. Some of the pious elders would prepare six months in advance.
2. Make a timetable for how one will utilise the valuable moments of Ramadhaan.
عن أبي سعيد الخدري رضي الله عنه عن النبي صلى الله عليه و سلم قال من صام رمضان وعرف حدوده وتحفظ مما ينبغي له أن يتحفظ كفر ما قبله رواه ابن حبان في صحيحه والبيهقي (الترغيب و الترهيب رقم 1474)
Hadhrat Abu Saeed Khudri (Radhiallahu Anhu) reports that Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) said: “Whoever fasts the month of Ramadhaan and acknowledges its boundaries and limits and ensures that he fulfils the rights of ramadhann as he ought to fulfil it, all his previous sins will be forgiven.
3. If a person has any outstanding rights in relation to the Creator (e.g. qadha salaah, qadha fasts unpaid zakaat etc) or the creation (e.g. one has oppressed someone or hurt anyone in any way) or any unsettled debts, then before the month of Ramadhaan enters, he should sort out his affairs and fulfil all outstanding obligations in order for him to be able to derive the full blessings of the month of Ramadhaan.
4. Try to gradually increase your ibaadat from before Ramadhaan and get into a set routine of making ibaadat so that it will be easy to carry out ibaadat during the month of Ramadhaan.
5. Engage in plenty of istighfaar and du'aa from before Ramadhaan.