I am a big believer in vision boards. It may seem kooky to some but visualising the future I want to have for myself consistently is encouraging and pushes me towards achieving it. Vision boards are a great visualizing exercise and if you enjoy browsing Pinterest for hours like me, this will be a relaxing activity for you. I have been making these boards for the last 3 years now and it’s my favourite activity to get out of the post-Christmas funk.
In this blog, I will walk you through making two types of vision boards – digital and physical. I prefer digital vision boards since they are easier and free to put together.
Digital Vision Boards
These are super easy to put together and you can make these on your laptops or your tablets/iPads. Here’s a step-by-step guide on how I make my digital vision boards.
Step 1 – Write down your goals/visions for the upcoming year
This is a very crucial step before you start collecting your pictures and dumping them onto the board. Open up your notepad, Notion, or even a physical pen and paper and write down all the goals you want to work towards in the upcoming year. Make sure to be specific and realistic in your goal setting.
I recommend using SMART goals, meaning your goals should be specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound. You are highly likely to achieve your goals when they are set in this format.
For example, “I want to be more artistic” is not a smart goal. It is too broad and difficult to measure what the “artistic” level would be. A SMART goal here would be “I will enroll in an art class and create 4 oil paintings by the end of 2024”. This goal is specific with specific actions and outputs, measurable and achievable with a clear direction and number, and relevant because it ultimately supports the vision of being more artistic, and time-bound with a clear timeline.
Here’s a guide to setting SMART goals you can use: https://www.ucop.edu/local-human-resources/_files/performance-appraisal/How%20to%20write%20SMART%20Goals%20v2.pdf
Step 2 – Collect your pictures
This is my favourite step. I personally make a vision board on Pinterest and collect all my pictures there. With your written goals in mind, collect your pictures. You can use Pinterest or Instagram, or even Google Images to search up your pictures. Save them in a mood board or within a folder on your computer.
This is my mood board from 2021 on Pinterest as an example.
Step 3 – Organize your pictures on a blank canvas
I am a big fan of Canva for this step because it is free, accessible, and compatible with any device. It also has a variety of cool fonts, shapes, and colours to spruce up your vision board. You can also use PowerPoint or Google Slides for this step.
If you are using Canva, select the desktop wallpaper option for the ideal vision board size. Arrange your pictures on the board. You can copy them directly from Pinterest or upload them to Canva if you have them saved on your computer. Canva lets you add any text, or colours, resize your photos and change the shape. If you don’t know where to start, I am adding some inspiration below for some good vision boards with stunning layouts. You can also start with a Canva template if you wish, like the ones shown below.
https://www.canva.com/create/vision-boards/ – Canva Vision Board Template
Step 4 – Time to Export
Once you are satisfied with your layout, it’s time to export your vision board. Export it as a PNG if you want to set it as your desktop wallpaper and export it as a PDF if you would like to print it out and display it on your wall.
That’s it! You have made yourself an amazing vision board to give yourself a fresh start for 2024.
Physical Vision Board
If you are a big fan of making collages, this vision board activity is perfect for you. This does require more effort and some spending as compared to the digital vision board but is worth the effort.
Here are the steps to build a physical vision board:
Repeat steps 1 and 2 from the digital vision board section
Write down your goals and collect your pictures. For step 2, you can source your pictures from magazines, newspapers, or books and collect cutouts of your goals and pictures. If you have collected digital pictures, print these out using a colour printer at home or by using a printing service at Staples or Walmart
Staples: https://shop.staplescopyandprint.ca/collections/photo-prints
Walmart: https://www.walmartphotocentre.ca/
Step 3 – Organize your pictures on a blank poster board
Once you have your printed photos ready, get a blank poster board to organize your pictures. You can paste your pictures with some glue or washi tape and add in your affirmations, quotes, and goals in different colours and fonts.
You can get your poster board from Dollarama or Staples. Here is some vision board inspiration for you:
That’s it! Your vision board is ready to be displayed. You can hang this up near your desk to look at every day and manifest your dreams into reality. Wishing you a very happy new year 🙂
