Welcome, welcome, fellow visionaries! Today, we’re going to discuss, as we’re sure you gathered from the title, how to make a vision board! A vision board differs from New Year’s resolutions in that the latter focuses more on habits and imminent changes, whereas a vision board is all about envisioning the life you want to have and how you want to feel! It incorporates various words, images, and symbols to conceptualize the future you desire, acting as a continuous reminder of what you’re working towards. They can be created for whatever timeframe you like – a month, a year, or even for life! In essence, the vision boards will look and feel the same, but for today, we’re going to focus on creating one for the upcoming year!
Laying the Foundation for Your Vision Board
The starting point, before you consider anything else for your vision board, is declaring your intention! Essentially, what is it that you want? What is it that you intend for your future? This will help you create that vision in your mind. There are a few things you should consider; firstly, reflect on the years that have passed. What goals did you achieve or not achieve? What goals do you still have? Are there any goals that you still want to accomplish, or were they perhaps replaced with other ones? Setting up your intentions through reflection will give you the space to begin your visualization.
Another thing to consider is your motivational prompt! Something like “where do I see myself in one year” or “where do I want to be in a year,” for example! Choosing your prompt lays the groundwork for your board – it’ll be that one reference point you’ll keep coming back to over and over again, reminding you to stay on track.
Vision Board Formats: Physical, Digital, or Both
In choosing your format, think about the best way to display your board so that you have access to it at any given time! Your vision board is there to help you maintain that motivation, so placing it in a space (be it physical or digital) where you can keep that reminder close at hand is definitely recommended. For a digital board, we suggest you set it as a background on your laptop or computer. That way, even when you’re not directly thinking about it, it’ll be there, keeping the vision present in your subconscious. And the best part about creating your board on the laptop/computer is that you can transfer it onto a poster, canvas print, or simply an A4 sheet of paper, directly from your home printer! You could also get crafty and recreate it yourself with some scissors, glue, paint, and/or markers!
Creating a physical board has its advantages, too! Arts and crafts are a great way to relax, focus, and spark creativity as you attempt to bring your vision to life. Grab a big A1 sheet of paper (or a bunch of smaller ones) and a notebook! The notebook is there for jotting down any vision board ideas or inspo that pops into mind. Or, instead of a board, you could even make a vision journal, with each page dedicated to a different idea or theme!
Building Your Vision Board with Words & Visuals
We’ve now reached the most fun part of the entire process… populating your vision board! Just grab a piece of paper and write down each and every goal, aim, or feeling you’ve envisioned. That’s your baseline. Then, scour the internet, magazines, books, whatever you think, and gather some images! The images don’t necessarily have to be the goal itself, but they can be anything related to your goal! You could even print out some stickers or tags with your image choices so you can easily attach them later on! Remember, this board is personal to you, so only you have to understand what each image represents.
The next thing to research is quotes! Look up some vision board quotes that represent what you’re aiming to achieve! Quotes that motivate you; that move you every time you read them. Better yet, if you can’t find anything worthy of your board, make one up yourself! Who better to quote than the wise words of the person making the board? Don’t pressure yourself to find everything straight away. Gather what you can and come back to it when a moment of inspo hits or an idea pops into your head!
Design Your Vision Board with Purpose
When conceptualizing your overall layout, you can get as creative as you like! This is to fit your narrative. In other words, you have the freedom to shape it in any way that aligns with your point of view! However, there are some popular choices here that cover a variety of styles. Also, to note, these styles can be used for both digital and physical boards.
Timeline
This entails arranging the board from the start to the end of the year. It begins with the aims you have, the habits you want to build, and the achievements you want to reach. The middle of the year could be all the things you need to do to develop these aims, with the end of the year being the goal of how you would like to feel!
Wheel of Life
With this, you divide a circle into varying sections, like slices of a cake! It’d look quite similar to a pie chart, which some of you may remember (fondly or not-so-fondly) from elementary school math. Each section represents a different area of your life. One can be ‘Career’ or ‘Learning,’ another could be ‘Mindset,’ and so on.
Minimalist
Sometimes, minimal is best! Display your main goals, pick just a few colors, and keep phrases short and sweet with not too many pictures. This layout is definitely recommended if you want things neat and clutter-free!
Collage
Here, we have almost the polar opposite of the previously discussed ‘minimalist’ layout! Grab your images, quotes, wild colors, and place them wherever they feel right! As the saying goes, “the board is your oyster” (copyright pending)!
Theme
This is the ideal option if you have one area or topic you’re working towards! Pick a theme and in the center, put in words or images related to that theme (that’s the focal point). Then, you’ll encircle said choice with photos, quotes, and smaller goals related to it.
Bring Your Vision Board to Life
‘Big congratulations on finishing your vision board!’ – a message from us in the future when you’ve actually finished it… And now that it’s done and dusted, it’s time that you bring it to life! A big part of the vision board is that you have to be able to see it at a moment’s notice, to keep that end target in sight! Place it on your bedroom wall, over your work desk, in your living room – essentially anywhere you spend a lot of time. Heck, you could even print it on a mug, t-shirt, pillow, or anything else you’d look at daily! If you’ve got a printer handy, make out a few copies and scatter them around your home!
Remember, the most important part of the vision board, and of the entire process, is what you’re working to accomplish! Your vision board isn’t the solution; it’s the destination – the power to reach that destination is in your hands, so keep up the hard work and motivation. There may be bumps in the road, but bumps are only an obstacle, and obstacles can be overcome! 2026 is your year, and you’re going to achieve great things!
Adam L is a Content Specialist from Kerry, Ireland. His passions include going for long runs, video games, a love for animals, coffee, and travel!
