This is an old adage that if you fail to plan, you plan to fail. Of course, no one really plans or wants to fail. That’s nobody who really wants to quit that is.

So let’s assume you are 100% committed to quitting. What is your plan?

What is your first step? Here are my suggestions, after helping thousands of clients to quit smoking, then maybe my suggestions can be useful to you.

The official plan to quit smoking successfully.

1. Quickly move from must-quit to must-quit. This is not negotiable!

2.Make a strong commitment to yourself and your loved ones. Some accountability is vital.

3. Identify those who will help you quit smoking and ask them to support you.

4. Identify those who will not support you and create space between you and them for at least the first two weeks. If you can’t distance yourself from them, you may need to ask yourself how important they are to you in your life. Also ask why they wouldn’t support you.

It could be that he misses smoking with you, it could be that he sees your success as his failure, or it could be that he is just an inconsiderate jerk who doesn’t really care about you.

5. Decide exactly when you will quit. There’s never a perfect time, so putting it off until all the planets align and all your ducks are aligned is just a lame excuse.

6. Decide how you want to quit. If the patches help then great, if you can take it all at once then well done.

I’m biased though, but in my experience quitting is a mind game. Therefore, you need a method that addresses mental and emotional habits, beliefs, and fears.

7. Schedule your appointment to quit smoking. Mark it on your calendar and tell your friends.

8. Do everything your quit therapist asks you to prepare, and prepare yourself. Start thinking of cigarettes as stinky money that wastes your health and sucks the waste out of your life.

9. Show up to your quit appointment online or in person, on time and with a feeling of enthusiasm.

10. Be willing to participate, be fully involved in the process and stick with it. Overthinking it won’t help one bit.

11. Do your homework. Stick to the plan and believe in yourself. Ask your friends for help and contact your therapist if necessary.

12. Don’t smoke, it’s simple, if you never smoke then you will never be a smoker again.

13. Believe in yourself. I thought it was so important that I would mention it again!