making a plan or goal works

I was thinking about the day I quit smoking it was Feb 19, 1998  at noon. I phoned my doctors office to get a prescription for the patch. I got in to see him at 4pm and went to the drugstore with the prescription for 3 weeks worth of patches, My doctor didn't have time to talk to me about how to quit smoking and said to try it for 3 weeks and then come back and we would discuss a plan that might work for me.
So home I went with my patches, had supper and at 6pm my last cigarette, waited 30 minutes slapped on a patch , and the the work began.
First the patch took care of the cravings but not the HABIT. that was my job and I just about drove myself crazy that night. I kept telling myself if I wanted a smoke I could have one, But I put a ton of conditions on it, first I had to go outside, the walk around the block, then I had to wait another 20 minutes, and if I still wanted one, I had to walk around the block again. Now I chose this because at that time I was a bit on the lazy side, in fact if I could have hitched a ride across my living room if I could have.I choose thing for myself to do that I wouldn't normally have done in a million years.
On the other hand I kept a pack of cigarettes in my freezer, and told my self if I ever really had to have on I could. Some how I managed to not ever need one and threw that self same pack in the garbage one year later.
This was not an easy thing to do but it also was a lot easier than I ever believed it would be. I swore that I would be sitting on top of my coffin saying "wait just one more"
But I did have a plan and found out that to get over the habit, you have to CHANGE your routine. I went back to the pharmacy where I got my Patches from and the pharmacist gave me a wee book to read o the premises, or buy for $23. I sat there and read it in about 20 minutes, and it said you have to do things differently, for instance, if you smoke every time you drink  coffee, take your coffee out side and enjoy the fresh air, if you have a smoke after a meal, immediately. after eating get up and clear the table, and clean up supper do something different than what you did before .
I did make it , and have use the fact that I was able to stop smoking, to assist my self to change other things in my life, because If I stopped smoking and I did I can do any thing I set my mind to, if I have a good plan
Afterthought I used to smoke 2 packs a day and started smoking when I was 11, I was 55 when I stopped,