Ready to Make a Vision Board? Here’s How It Works
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Creating goals is part of the journey of seeing them realized. While some people prefer to simply think of what they want to achieve, others like to make something they can see. That’s where a vision board comes in.
This tool helps spell out your goals, whether that means wanting to travel, find the job of your dreams, become a stronger version of yourself, or even add more relaxation to your life. A vision board is highly personal and plenty of people swear by it.
So…how does this all work? Here’s how to make a vision board, plus how to actually use your board once it’s created.
Meet the experts: Nitika Chopra is founder and CEO of Chronicon; Hillary Ammon, Psy.D., is a clinical psychologist at the Center for Anxiety & Women’s Emotional Wellness; Sarah Centrella is a life coach, motivational speaker, and author of All the Things I Wish I Knew.
What is a vision board?
The concept of a vision board is simple. “A vision board is a visual representation of what you want to bring into your life, what you want to create for your life, and what you want to manifest,” says Nitika Chopra, founder and CEO of Chronicon.
It’s important to note that a vision board is not a mood board (those are often used in design to help plan out décor). However, there is a lot you can do with a vision board. “A vision board can be made for a variety of reasons—improving mental health, creating fitness goals, exploring a career path, or creating a life driven by your values,” says Hillary Ammon, Psy.D., a clinical psychologist at the Center for Anxiety & Women’s Emotional Wellness.
Creating a vision board can give your mental health a boost, says life coach and motivational speaker Sarah Centrella, author of All the Things I Wish I Knew. “It helps you to shift your focus from your current circumstances or current reality onto what is possible for your future,” she says. “This naturally gives you hope, anticipation, and excitement for new and exciting things to come into your life.”
How to make a vision board
There is a lot of flexibility with making a vision board, given that this is a tool that is designed just for you, Chopra says. However, she generally recommends taking the following steps:
Determine your goal. Again, this goal can be anything, but having a solid idea of what you want your vision board to be centered around is an important first step.
Figure out where you’ll put it. That includes whether you prefer to put this in a prominent place in your home where anyone can see it, in your workspace, or in a private area of your home.
Decide if you prefer a digital or print board. Digital vision boards—which you create and can be viewed on your phone or computer—are “really popular,” Chopra says. However, some people prefer to have something you can touch and feel.
Gather your materials. If you want a traditional vision board, this means grabbing things like cardboard, poster board, magazines, and photos.
Make your board. This is a simple cut and paste job for more traditional vision boards, putting in photos and sayings that support your overall goal. If you want to create a digital vision board, a website like Canva makes it easy to layer photos and create a JPEG or PDF that you can save.
Not really sure what you want your board to look like? Don’t stress it. “For some, it may be helpful to pull inspiration from others,” Ammon says. “The internet can provide inspiration and ideas for various themes.”
How to use a vision board
Once you’ve created your vision board, you want to put it to good use. “I suggest displaying it near your desk if you have a home office, or wherever you’ll be around it most throughout the day,” Centrella says. “Mine covers my office wall and is my backdrop for all my virtual meetings, so it’s important to have it in the space where you need motivation and a reminder of why you’re working and what you are working towards.”
Centrella says she rarely meditates or stares at her vision board. “Just having it in my space is enough,” she says. That said, Centrella says she’ll take a few minutes to look at every picture in her vision board on days that feel tough to help her get re-inspired.
If you prefer to have your vision board be more private, Chopra suggests having it as your computer desktop image.
Finally, you’ll want to use your vision board to help you consider next steps in achieving your goals, Ammon says.
How often to update your vision board
Like your vision board, how often to update this tool is up to you. Chopra suggests doing it annually or once a quarter, while Centrella recommends doing it each year. “I update mine the first few days of every year,” Centrella says.
Chopra suggests leaving some white space on your initial board to fill in as you go. “Put as many things on there that feel definite and very clear for you, but allow yourself to have white space so you can add new ideas as you go along,” she says.
Centrella stresses the importance of updating your board as you go. “People begin manifesting and then forget to continue to re-do this process and they hit plateaus,” she says. “I want to always be growing and leveling up to keep the momentum going.”
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