Keep a smoking diary to find your triggers
A smoking diary records not just each cigarette, but what set it off. In Cigarette & Vape Counter, log with Details, tick one or more of 11 triggers and add a note. History then shows your Top Trigger for each day, and the full diary can be exported as a spreadsheet.
Why keep a smoking diary?
Many cigarettes are not a decision; they follow a situation: the first coffee, the end of a meal, a work break, a stressful call. Writing down the situation makes the pattern visible, and a pattern you can see is one you can plan around.
A paper diary is easy to lose within a couple of days. A notebook works, but it has to be with you every time, and your phone already is.
How do you log a cigarette with its trigger?
- On Home, under Quick Add, tap Details.
- On Log Entry, check Quantity and Time.
- Under What triggered this?, tick every trigger that applies. It is marked Optional.
- Under How are you feeling?, write a short Note if you want.
- Check This will cost and tap Save.
The 11 triggers are Stress, After Meals, Social, Habit, Boredom, Anxiety, Craving, With Coffee, With Alcohol, Work Break and Other.
Where do you see your triggers?
- History (free): pick a Date. Each entry shows its trigger icons and note, and the Summary shows Top Trigger for the day.
- Export as CSV (free): Settings, Export Data. The file has Date, Time, Type, Quantity, Triggers and Note columns for every entry you have ever logged, ready for a spreadsheet.
- Trigger Analysis (Premium): in Stats, your top 5 triggers over the chosen range with a count and a percentage.
How the percentages are counted
Each trigger gets the quantity of every entry it is ticked on. An entry with two triggers counts for both, so the percentages share out trigger mentions, not cigarettes.
| Entries logged | Trigger | Count | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 × With Coffee, 1 × With Coffee + Work Break | With Coffee | 3 | 50% |
| 2 × Stress | Stress | 2 | 33% |
| (the combined entry above) | Work Break | 1 | 17% |
Five cigarettes, six trigger mentions: 3 ÷ 6 = 50%, 2 ÷ 6 = 33%, 1 ÷ 6 = 17%.
What to do with what you find
- Pick one trigger, not all of them. If With Coffee leads, change the coffee routine first: a different place, a different time, or a walk instead.
- Use Other plus a note for situations that are not on the list, then look for repeats.
- Keep the diary going after you change something, to see if that trigger really falls.
Limits
- The free version shows the last 7 days on screen. Older entries are kept and are always in the CSV.
- The CSV has no cost column, and it cannot be imported back into the app.
- You cannot add your own trigger names; use Other and a note.
Questions and answers
Can I pick more than one trigger for a cigarette?
Can I print my smoking diary?
Can I add a trigger to a cigarette I already logged?
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