Why I built the Stop Frame

I started smoking when I was 12 or 13, at our family summerhouse. My friends were older and already smoking, and at that age their company was everything. Smoking looked stylish. I still remember the brand: Elita Menthol.

After that, it just became part of my life. Different friends, different places, different jobs, different kinds of stress. And somewhere along the way, it stopped being only about smoking.

It became a break.

At work, I could go outside, smoke a cigarette, switch my brain off for a few minutes, and come back feeling fresh. The cigarette became part of a ritual I used to reset myself.

By the time I was 38, I had been smoking for about 25 years, and I had tried to stop at least three to five times. One of those attempts is still funny to me.

I stopped one evening. The next morning, I went for a walk with the dog. At some point, I went to buy cigarettes. I was already smoking from a new pack when I suddenly remembered that I had decided to stop the night before.

I stopped yesterday.

And somehow, by the next morning, the decision had disappeared.

That was the problem.

There was nothing physically reminding me that I had made that decision. My brain had simply moved on.

I wanted something that would stay

At that time, I wanted a family and kids, so I decided to stop smoking and drinking. And I started thinking about the decision itself. What if there was something physical that could stay in front of me and show me how much time had passed since I made it?

I looked for something like that.

It did not exist.

So I built one.

The first physical Stop Frame prototype was ready in March 2025, while I was living in the Netherlands. It was in my apartment, in the center of the room, in a place where I could see it every day.

And honestly, it felt a little insane.

I was not only proud that I had decided to stop smoking. I was proud that I had started something of my own.

My friends saw it and suggested launching it on Kickstarter.

But I did not finish it.

My plans changed. I tried to move to Latvia, where I am originally from, but my relationship ended even before the relocation. A lot of things changed at the same time, and I needed some time to step back, understand what was important to me, and start again.

The first Stop Frame stayed in my storage in the Netherlands.

Then life started again

The project came back to life after I moved back to Bali. My life had changed too. I started again, found a relationship I really care about, and I am now ready to build a family. The thing I wanted back in 2025 is still the thing I am working toward.

And suddenly the Stop Frame made sense in a different way.

The first frame was about stopping smoking, but there were other decisions I wanted to mark too. One frame for not drinking anymore. One for the beginning of this Kickstarter project. And there can be many more, because life is full of things we want to start, stop, or finish. Sometimes we also need to remember why we started.

Why a physical counter?

For me, the important part is that it is physical.

It ticks.

The numbers grow.

And you can see them.

The counter on this website has been running since March 2025, when the first physical prototype was ready for its final adjustments and preparation for production. Every time I open my own website, I see it ticking, and it reminds me that I started this project a long time ago.

And it reminds me of something I do not want to repeat: waiting another 500 days to finish something that matters to me.

For me, this is what a physical counter does better than a thought or a promise. It gives the decision a place in everyday life. You can see how long you have been living with it, and how much time you have already invested. And hopefully, you become proud of every new second.

A new ritual

I think that when we decide to change something, we often underestimate how quickly the decision can disappear into everyday life.

We need a new ritual.

The Stop Frame is one possible ritual. We are also working on a support app, because a digital version makes sense too. But a physical object is different. It becomes part of your home or your workspace. Other people can see it. You can share what it means with your partner, family, friends, or business partners.

Your phone is private.

This is something you can choose to make visible.

It is not the cheapest way to remind yourself of a decision. It is meant to be a stylish interior object that stays with you for a long time.

This time, I am finishing it

The first prototype is still sitting in my storage in the Netherlands.

But I am not leaving the project there.

I now have production in Bali that is ready to build a high quality product. I have the website. I have the counter running. And I am preparing the Kickstarter campaign.

This time, I want to finish it.

This time is also different for a reason. I am not smoking. I have a relationship I care about. I am ready to build a family. And the product can finally be made and sold, not left in storage again.

Not because everything is perfect. There is always something unfinished, because there is always something that can be improved. But at some point, you have to stop improving and start.

I have learned that in other parts of life too. Some things need to be stopped in time. Some things need to be started. And some things simply need to be finished.

Maybe it can help someone else

The Stop Frame started with one very personal problem. I wanted to stop smoking, and I wanted something that would help me remember the decision. It became a much bigger project.

Maybe someone else wants to stop smoking, or stop drinking. Maybe they want to start a business, finish a project, leave something behind, move to another country, start a relationship, or begin a completely different chapter of their life.

I do not know what that decision will be for you. For me, it is about making an important decision and then being able to see the time passing.

Whatever it is, the important part is the decision. The frame is there to help you remember it. And to watch the time pass.