Are you kidding me? Are you serious when you say that!
Becoming a non-smoker required a lot of steps and was a big project. It took me over a year to figure out all the little things I needed to do to finally really quit.
My final task list ended up looking something like this: (Some of these “tasks” are almost projects in their own right. I deleted the various “cold turkey” tasks that I had been creating regularly because it just wasn’t working.)
Create a bookmark article in Chrome to save articles about quitting.
Research cost-effective methods that other smokers in their 20s and 30s have used to quit.
Looking at disgusting pictures of smokers' broken teeth to maintain motivation (weekly).
Join online support groups for people my age who want to quit smoking.
Observe and take notes on the problems others face and how the community helps them deal with the urge to smoke.
Choosing a new method to quit smoking.
Reduce the number of cigarettes (weekly).
And when that didn’t work (not every method is right for everyone), I started over:
Order the book most frequently mentioned as helpful in the forum: “Stop Smoking!” new zealand telegram data by Allen Carr.
Read chapters 1–14 of “Finally a Non-Smoker!” (Saturday).
Take notes on chapters 1–14 of “Finally a Non-Smoker!” (Saturday).
Finish reading “Finally a non-smoker!” (Sunday).
Make notes on the remaining chapters of “Finally a Non-Smoker!” (Sunday).
Download QuitNow! PRO to track how many cigarettes I haven't smoked (Sunday).
Empty and throw away ashtrays (Sunday).
Take out the trash (Sunday).
Throw away cigarettes from your handbag (Sunday).
Throw away cigarettes from the living room (Sunday).
Throw away cigarettes from the bedroom (Sunday).
Throwing cigarettes out of the car (Sunday).
Text close friends to tell them I've quit smoking and ask them for support (Sunday).
Throwing away cigarettes in the office (Monday).
Use QuitNow! Pro (Daily).
Email my parents and brothers to tell them I quit and invite them to dinner to celebrate (Friday).
Officially declare myself an ex-smoker (three months later; end of the project).
This is much more than just “quitting smoking”, isn’t it?
But by breaking each step down into small tasks, I was finally able to break this terrible habit. I quit smoking for good on July 23, 2016.