Bluntly, the official liturgy is the way God wants us to pray. Private prayer can, should, supplement it, invigorate it, never replace or take precedence over it. The rather pathetic expectation of some young religious was that having the Liturgy in the vernacular would result in instant and full understanding of the text. So that saying the Hours, like participating in the Mass, is a constant listening as well as speaking. Our part is to prepare for him by our attention, welcome him when he comes with faith that his goodness and his love will enlighten us and strengthen us according to our need.
Spiritual maturation is ordinarily a silent process, unobserved.
At times we may become aware of our deepening understanding. God speaks in many ways. No two persons have the same inner history. Because we are human there will be times, perhaps prolonged periods, when the recitation of the Hours will be dull, giving no comfort or inspiration to our minds or hearts. We will be inclined to work out our discouragement by raging at the inelegant language or the unsingable hymns.