A sticky note changed everything.

Background

Tried every method. Still stuck.

I tried to change my smoking habit the traditional way several times: patches, vaping, nicotine gum, and cold turkey.

I was pretty good on calm, non-stressful, non-social days. I could build up days, sometimes weeks, without smoking. But it always felt like I was denying myself certain people, places, or experiences. I heard the same story from many others who were trying to quit.

When I did put myself in those situations, the cravings would build. The original reason I wanted to stop felt distant, and I’d tell myself, “What harm can one do?”

The harm wasn’t just the cigarette. It was how I felt the next day: as if I’d undone everything, was back at the beginning, and had no momentum to start again. That cycle could last weeks, months, even years. I wanted to change, but felt stuck in a habit I couldn’t always say no to.

“The original reason I wanted to stop felt distant, and I’d tell myself: what harm can one do?”

My approach

A sticky note changed everything.

Eventually, I tried something different.

Instead of focusing on stopping smoking, I focused on something I genuinely wanted: reducing my chances of cancer. Every day, I used a sticky note to reflect on the day before. At the top, I wrote the word “Cancer”. Underneath, I wrote how many days I hadn’t smoked, not as a streak, but as context. I also kept a cumulative count of the days I hadn’t smoked.

Over time, the notes evolved to include:

• Small behavioural changes.
• Affirmations such as “What’s the hardest thing I can do today?”
• A happy face and the words “I commit to today.”

None of this was directly about smoking. It was about building the behaviours and mindset that slowly made smoking less necessary.

“Every morning, whether I had smoked or not, I reflected on yesterday with a sticky note.”

What changed

Smoking less without trying to stop.

On days I hadn’t smoked, the reflection felt like a quiet win and gave me focus for the day ahead.

On days I had smoked, I didn’t feel guilt or failure. It was simply information. I could still see my progress and commit to today.

Without realising it, I was smoking less. The gaps became longer. The cravings became easier to navigate. More importantly, I felt calmer, more in control, and more capable of making decisions that aligned with what I wanted for myself.

“On days I had smoked, I didn’t feel guilt or failure. It was simply information.”

Why this app exists

The digital version of those sticky notes.

This app is a digital version of those sticky notes, with structure, support, and community built in.

It offers things a sticky note can’t:

• Daily reflection without judgement.
• Goal setting focused on what matters to you.
• HotSpot tracking for people, places, or moments.
• A way to reach out for support in difficult moments.
• Gentle tools such as breathing exercises to help cravings pass.

For me, focusing on intention, reflection, and support changed everything. This app is designed to offer those same tools without pressure, shame, or binary success states.

Beyond the individual

Connecting personal change to collective impact.

While building the app, I learned more about the environmental impact of cigarettes and disposable vapes.

The app connects individual progress to collective impact, showing how small changes can add up for your wellbeing and the environment.

I’m also conscious of the environmental cost of technology itself, using it sparingly and responsibly, with efficiency and sustainability in mind.