How to Create A Vision Board That Works (in 5 Easy Steps)

I’ve been wanting to write this post for over a year. I had all of my supllies ready and bought super cute poster boards (from the dollar store).

I even had everything set up on my dining room table for months. I rarely actually eat at my dining room table so this wasn’t a problem. But life happened and creating my vision board never happened.

So here I am a year later, committed to creating a vision board for next year. And I’m going to take you through the process with me. So let’s create a vision board together!

*This post may contain affiliate and/or referral links. It doesn’t cost you anything extra to use the provided links to purchase any of the below products or services. Please check out my disclosure policy.*

The following Erin Condren products were gifted to me and I decided they would be perfect to use in this post. Though they were gifted, all opinions are my own.

What is a Vision Board?

You’ve probably seen vision board ideas or templates on Pinterest but what exactly is a vision board?

A vision board (also called a dream board) is a tool that you create to help you visualize your goals or even your ideal life. Vision boards can be created using supplies that you already have at home or even using the computer.

The purpose of a vision board is to have a tangible representation of your heart’s desires. It is one thing to know in your head what you want out of life, but it is another thing to see it on paper (or screen).

How to Create Your Vision Board

My vision board process was 5 steps long. It took me about a week to complete my vision board from the gathering of supplies to setting smart goals.

Here are my steps:

1. Gather your supplies
2. Think and write about your vision
3. Cut out pictures
4. Arrange the pictures on your board
5. Create SMART goals to achieve your vision

This guide will show you how to create a vision board as well as provide you with prompts and advice on helping your vision board dreams become reality.

Gather Your Supplies

Because your vision board can be anything that you want it to be the supplies that you need for it is totally up to you. You can even make an online vision board with Pinterst. Keep scrolling for that! These are the things that I used:

• Poster board
• Scissors (absent from the picture because I was also wrapping presents)
• Glue stick
• Old magazines, newspapers, pamphlets, etc
• Erin Condren New Year Vision Journal Bundle
• Erin Condren Goal Setting Notebook
• Tape

Other supplies that you might want to include are:

• Gel pens (as I discovered)
• Glitter
• Paint
• Old photos

Think (And Write) About Your Visions & Goals

I used the guided questions in the vision journal to do this portion of the my vision board but if you don’t have one, that’s totally fine! Get out some paper and a pencil and think about what you want your life to be. Write down anything that comes to mind. Here are some questions that you might want to answer:

• If you could do or have anything, what would you want?
• What do you currently love about your life?
• What about your life do you want to improve?
• What’s missing from your life?
• What’s important to you?

If you’d like more journaling prompts that could help you with your vision board, I’ve got you covered!

• Jounaling Prompts for Mental Health
• Journaling Prompts For Self-Love
• Journaling Prompts for Self-Discovery

Cut Out Pictures That Fit with Your Vision and Goals

This is probably my favorite part. I love looking through magazines and finding pictures to fit my vision.

Other than beautiful pictures cut out from magazines, you can also put affirmations, favorite quotes, drawings, and other things on your vision board. You can generally find cheap magazines at the dollar store. I used magazines that I accidentally signed up for and even junk mail.

Like I said earlier, your vision board is yours to create and there is no limit to what you can put on it.

The pictures or words that you find don’t have to be literal match for what you want. They can be figurative or just remind you of what you want. For example, if you visualize a beach vacation, your picture could be the sun, a a fruity drink, or palm trees.

Arrange Your Pictures on Your Vision Board in A Way That Makes Sense to You

What I love about the Erin Condren Vision Journal is that I can use it for smaller vision boards. While my large vision board will encapsulate my overall vision for the next year, I’m using the smaller vision boards for each piece of my vision.

My vision for the next year involved mostly 3 things: Health, Romantic Relationships, and Growing My Business. Each of these has its own vision board in my vision journal.

There’s my completed vision board! What do you think of it? Any guesses for what I’m hoping for in 2021? I don’t want to toot my own horn but I did a pretty awesome job.

Create SMART Goals to Achieve Your Vision

I’ve talked about creating SMART Goals in my post about living a level 10 life. There’s a quote by Nelson Mandela that fits into this section perfectly

Vision without action is just a dream, action without vision just passes the time, and vision with action can change the world.

To truly make sure that you can manifest your vision, you need to create goals to achieve them. Things don’t (for the most part) magically happen, so we need to do the work to get what we want. To that end, SMART goals are the best way to achieve your goals.

To make sure that your goals are SMART you need to make them:

• Specific – the goal is clear and understandable by anyone
• Measurable – have concrete action steps, deadlines, etc to show that you are meeting your goal
• Attainable or Achievable – your goal is achievable based on your capabilities and ability to stretch yourself
• Relevant – is this goal something that you really want? Will it matter to you in a few years?
• Timely – your goals should have an end date or timeframe for when it should be accomplished or when you will be working on the goal

SMART Goal Example: I’m going to read 12 personal development books by the end of the year by reading 1 book a month for at least 15 minutes a day.

I’m planning on using my goal setting journal to keep track of my goals as well as the action steps that will help me achieve them.

Additional Tips for Creating a Vision Board

Just in case you need some extra tips for creating a vision board, here they are!

• Hang up your vision board where you will see it every day. My vision board is in my office.
• If you do make SMART goals, make sure that they are visible as well. My vision board is on the wall in my office, while my SMART goals are on my desk so I can look at them every day.
• If there is a super-specific vision that you want, make a vision board specifically for that. Vision boards don’t have to be just a “beginning of the year” thing. Make a vision board for whatever (and whenever) you want.
• Don’t worry about filling up your vision board. It is fine to only have a few items on it. Less is more.
• Lastly, don’t be afraid to make changes to your vision board or create a new one. Life is always in flux and our visions can be too. Feel free to go back to your vision board every couple of weeks to see if it still lines up with what you want. If it doesn’t, change it!

*BONUS* How to Create an Online Vision Board with Pinterest

Can you create an online vision board? Of course! Your vision board is only limited to your creativity. I personally like Pinterest for creating an online vision board because it is super simple to use.

All you need to do is follow the steps outline above, but when you’re ready to create your vision board, use the internet to find pictures to save to your Pinterest account. I have my Pinterest vision board saved as a secret board on my account and visit it periodically. The picture below is a screenshot of my Pinterest vision board.

The only thing that I dislike about online vision board is that they’re not as easily accessible as my regular vision boards. I like having something tangible that I can hang in my home and look at every day. If I’m not actively thinking about my onilne vision board, I’m unlikely to go look at it.

One tip that I have for this is to screenshot your Pinterest dream board and use it as the lock screen on your phone, tablet, or computer. That way, it will always be salient, even when you’re not thinking about it.

Huge thanks to Erin Condren for providing me with the goal-setting journal and the vision journal.

If this post helped you, consider buying me a coffee!

Have you ever created a vision board before? Share your best tips in the comments! If you used my process to create your vision board, tag me on Instagram (@learningtobefreeblog). I’d love to see it!