Pax Christi!
There are differing approaches. Perhaps the best-known is the Montfortian. St. Louis de Montfort created a popular system, lasting 33 days, of preparation for personal consecration to our Lord through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, the consecration itself being performed on the 34th day. Each of the 33 days has its own prayers and readings; on the 34th day one confesses sacramentally, receives Communion and prays a page-long prayer. This prayer is repeated occasionally, at least annually. See de Montfort’s “True Devotion to Mary” for the details.
Another newer version of this is “33 Days to Glory” by, um, I forget… But anyway, it is currently popular and simpler, with fewer and shorter readings. But it’s the same idea.
Alternatively, one can pray a simple prayer of personal consecration without any preparatory period. There are several such prayers already composed; one that I like can be found at
www.fatima.org. Yes, I know Father Gruner is a suspended priest; I wouldn’t go to him for the sacraments, but he is not heretical and the website is an excellent and proper source nonetheless. Other such prayers can be found elsewhere.
After consecration, then what? That’s up to the individual. One hopes that individual’s life is lived as a servant of our Lady, pleasing to Her that it may be pleasing to Her Son.
Commonly, personal consecration takes place on one our Lady’s major feast days. The Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary is next Monday (moved from Sunday the 8th this year) and the Solemnity of Mary, the Holy Mother of God is January 1st. It’s too late to start a 33-day preparatory period for either of these dates, but a short consecration (all that I’ve done so far) would work well.
I hope it works for you!
May the Handmaid of the Lord, whose humble footstool I am, pray for you.
God bless.