The most effective technique I've found has been to get up and begin meditation as early as possible. Not only does the earliest meditation set me up for the rest of the day, but it allows my mind to sit in the kind of "meditative groove" my daily practice has slowly been hollowing out over time.
Subsequent meditations are thereby made easier as the quieter, more desired state of open awareness is closer to access from the previous morning efforts I've made leading up to them.