How to build motivation

If you’re thinking about quitting smoking or vaping, or both, one of the best ways to move your motivation along is to compare the good and bad things about it.

It's pros and cons time!

You guessed it – take a piece of paper and draw a line down the middle. 

On one side write down what you like about smoking and/or vaping. Are there any good things about it?

On the other side, list what the bad things about smoking or vaping for you? You might consider health, kids, money or just the fact that you feel hassled by it all. That you want to regain control. Everyone, of course, has their own personal reasons. 

The more specific you can be the better. 

Now step back for a moment and compare both sides. How does it weigh up? You’ve likely generated a lot of good reasons for quitting!

Some things to consider to help build motivation:

• What really tugs at the heart strings? What really concerns you about smoking or vaping?

• Do you have future goals that could be impacted by continuing to smoke or vape?

• Are there any other ways you can get what you need without smokes or vapes? E.g. if time-out is important to you, can you get your time out in a different way? How do people who don't smoke or vape take time out? 

• On a scale of 0 to 10, how important it is for you to quit? (A score of 0 means not important, and 10 means extremely important). What’s your number? Why is it not zero? What could you change to make it higher?

Quitline can help you build your motivation

Quitline counsellors can offer you free advice and support to help you stop smoking and/or vaping. They will work with you to help you build and keep up your motivation, create a personalised plan that works for you, and provide guidance and encouragement along the way. Quitline counsellors can also support you if you are using vapes to stop smoking. 

There are many ways to get in touch with Quitline 13 7848: 

If you would like to provide feedback, please contact quit@quit.org.au 

Last updated March 2024