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Last year I started making my vision board online and I loved how easy it was! I was able to set my vision board as my desktop background and look at it every morning I opened my laptop. It inspired me all year to take action towards my goals. It sounds crazy that something as simple as a few pictures could have that kind of impact, but just the reminder everyday that I am working towards these dreams on my board, it always inspired me – even on the bad days. The best news is online vision boards are SO easy and FREE to make.
If you’re looking to create a vision board that actually helps you achieve your goals, I’ll explain my step-by-step goal setting process below.
What is a vision board?
It’s a visual list of goals for the next year, next 5 years, next 90-days or any amount of time you’d like! A vision board gives you a reminder each day of what you’re working towards. It helps you live a life of intention instead of living life at random. It ensures you’re putting your energy into the life that you want to live instead of the things that don’t matter.
How to create your vision:
I was so lost when I created my first vision board – I read so many different things online and I wasn’t sure what to put on my board. So I’ve created these questions for myself that have helped me set my goals for life and narrow down what to put on my vision board.
1. What is your dream?
Yes that’s a big question – maybe you have 1 BIG dream or maybe you have 10 dreams. Regardless – when you picture the future you want for yourself, what do you picture? Write that down – even though it might be so crazy and so far away. Write down what you picture that life would be like. This picture might change over time and that’s totally okay – you have the right to change your mind at any time but make sure you write down the dream you have right now and then take small steps each day to work towards achieving it.
2. What do you need to do to reach your dream? What goals do you need to set to get there?
Maybe you picture you and your family on vacation hiking through the mountains or working at a law firm, or finishing a half marathon, or having Sunday dinners with your parents or, maybe you are accepted to your dream university. Maybe, if you’re like me, you picture yourself working a location independent job, being able to travel and make a living online. Whatever the dream – how will you get there? What do you need to do? What do you need to learn? Whatever the steps are that you need to take – write those down.
3. What do you need to do each day, week and month to reach your goals?
For example, let’s say in the next year you have a goal to run the Disney half marathon. You will need to work your way up to 21 kilometres/13 miles. So maybe you sign up for a 5km running clinic, and then a 10km running clinic to work your way up to the half marathon clinic. Maybe you create a list of running books you want to read. Maybe you find a running community online or in your city so you can find a group to run with each week or someone to share your runs with each week. On your vision board you could have a picture of last year’s Disney half marathon, you could add in your goal distance, you could put a picture of the running clinic you are going to join or some running shoes.
That one goal is now something you will wake up to everyday to remind you to get out there and make sure you have the amazing life experience of running a half marathon. Now this doesn’t have to be the only thing on your board – you could also have motivational quotes, or specific motivational words, a picture of your dream house/dream kitchen/dream vacation – whatever it is you want to work towards or experience in your life!
Overall, there are no set rules and the possibilities are endless. I hope these questions helped guide you but keep in mind your vision can always change. You might be a completely different person in 1 year and that is totally fine. The important thing is that this board reflects YOUR vision. You can put anything you want on your vision board – big or small! Put images up there that remind you in the chaos of your everyday life, to keep working towards your dreams.
Where do I put my vision board?
You will want to put your vision board in a place where you can see it everyday. Here are a few options:
- Desktop background on your computer
- Phone background
- Frame it on your bedside table
- Hang in closet or on closet door
- Hang in your bathroom
- Post in your home office
Personally, I like to keep mine as my desktop background and I have one printed off that hangs in my home office. This is why I love making a digital vision board – it’s easy to have your vision board in one than 1 location.
How to make a vision board online:
- Get Canva – you can login online or download the app on your phone. It’s free and super easy to use. They have a lot of built in images but you can also upload images into the app if you have specific images you want to use.
- Select “Create a design” and “Custom size” – type in the following size: 2560px x 1440px. This is perfect for your desktop background and a good size for printing as well.
- Find images that represent your vision and more specifically, the goals you need to reach to achieve that vision. Just as I stated in the running example above, it’s important your vision board also represents the actionable steps you are going to take to achieve your goals. You can find images on Canva, Google or Pinterest. Use a mix of all three options to find exactly what you’re looking for. I love Canva because of the “elements” option. I often include lots of these to add my personal aesthetic to my board.
- Choose 1-3 key words or phrases you want to add to your board. This is optional – if you find words that inspire you, then definitely add them! In Canva, you can change up fonts, colours, word orientation etc. which really allows you to personalize your vision board.
- HAVE FUN! Don’t overthink it, allow yourself to be creative and dream big!
This post was all about how to make a vision board. I would love to hear about your big dreams for the new year in the comments below!
