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Some excerpts from Shaykh Yunus Patel :

Thoughts in Salaah

If these thoughts occur during Salaah, and the person tries fighting these thoughts, then the Salaat will come to an end but these thoughts will not. At the end of the Salaat, the person will then say that the entire Salaat went by in thinking about what was coming into his mind. This is the end result of fighting these thoughts …the person is so occupied with thoughts that he forgets that he is supposed to be having a conversation with Allah Ta’ala.

The moment these thoughts surface and you realize that you are going on some other track in the Salaat, then immediately bring your mind back to the Salaat. Instead of fighting these thoughts, ponder over the Surah that you are reading. It is, therefore, always preferable to read a Surah in our Sunnat or Nafl Salaat which we are not very fast at reading or which we do not normally read; much like a Hafez who is reciting his newly learnt ‘sabaq’ (lesson).

For so many people, the only Surahs they read in Salaat are Surah Kauthar and Surah Ikhlaas. Because they know these and because these Surahs have a minimum number of ayaah (verses) required, they keep reading the same in every Salaat – Sunnat, Witr and Nafl, even Fardh. In so doing the person generally only realizes that he has completed his Salaat when he makes the final Salaam.
If he now reads Surah Teen in his Witr Salaat, or he recites Wal Aadiyat in his Sunnat Salaat, then because this is not his normal reading habit, he is going to concentrate and read.

Also, learn the meaning of at least those Surahs which are normally read in Salaah. Having learnt the meaning, reflect and ponder over the message conveyed.

Thirdly, contemplate that you are standing before Allah Ta’ala and this is how we are going to stand on the Day of Judgement, accountable and answerable for all that we have done. Bring the Azmath (Greatness) of Allah Ta’ala into the heart and then, Insha-
Allah, that Salaat will improve.

Wasaawis (whisperings) will come but if we are going to fight them, then even outside our Salaah they will continue to harass,
upset and disturb us. We just have to ignore them.

Source:
Combating the Whisperings of Shaytaan