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WHEN'S THE BEST TIME?
Bearing in mind all of the above, the best time to quit is when you are ready, but if you possibly can, leave a gap of at least a week (preferably two) between making the decision and actually doing it. That way it is still fresh in your mind and you should have had enough time to prepare yourself mentally.
If you are planning to use a Hypnotherapist or Acupuncturist or other professional help, book that first and plan your actual quit date accordingly.
If you plan to use any cessation aids or products, make sure you allow plenty of time to get hold of them.
There is nothing to stop you planning to quit MONTHS in advance if you want to. What IS important is setting an actual date (NOT a non-specific 'some time next month' kind of date), and STICKING TO IT.
The worst thing you can do is to arrive at the date and just ignore it (unless you have a VERY sound reason for doing so).
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FINALISE YOUR PLAN
One of the best tips for succesful quitting is to be well-prepared. If you know in advance exactly how you will deal with potential problem times you are FAR more likely to get through it successfully than if you take a 'cross-that-bridge-when-I-come-to-it' attitude.
Having set your date, and decided exactly HOW you are going to go about it, the next thing to do is make sure you have everything in place. Book any appointments with therapists or clinics, buy in any products you will need, such as Nicotine patches, sugar-free sweets etc, well in advance of the big day. Don't wait until the last minute and then find you don't have everything you need - don't risk giving yourself an excuse to put it off.
PLAN in advance how you will deal with cravings, how you will cope with withdrawal symptoms, what changes you will make to your routine (see Habit Changing), what you will say when someone offers you a cigarette, etc etc.
TOP TIP- Have 'worst case scenario' plan - imagine the most serious temptation you could face as a new non-smoker, and then PLAN exactly what you would do to get through it.
In the run up to your quit date, having done all the practical preparation, the next thing is to make sure you're mentally prepared by geting properly psyched-up....
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GETTING PSYCHED-UP
The best way to prepare yourself mentally for becoming a non-smoker is to GET POSITIVE about it.
Rather than think of yourself as 'giving up smoking' (which implies it is a negative event and makes it FEEL all the more negative and difficult) instead look at it as BECOMING A NON-SMOKER. That way you are working TOWARDS a positive future, rather than trying to drag yourself away from smoking.
List all the benefits of being a non-smoker. Make the list as long as you possibly can, including even the most ridiculous things. All the while you're thinking of things to add to the list you are thinking positively about becoming and non-smoker and building your motivation more and more.
List all the things you hate about smoking so you don't forget. (Its MUCH easier to focus on this while you're still smoking - harder after).
Keep your lists in a safe place so you can refer to them after you've quit (if you need to).
TOP TIP - In the run up to your quit date keep smoking pretty much as 'normal'. Use the time to study your habit and plan how you're going to beat it. Most importantly, REALLY NOTICE all the things you hate about smoking and all things you're looking forward to about being a non-smoker. You may even begin to LOOK FORWARD TO QUITTING!