Create Your Future Using a Vision Board (the Way That Works)

A vision board is a collage of images and words representing your goals and dreams. They've become popular through personal development books and social media, sometimes alongside claims that simply visualising what you want will make it happen. The research doesn't support that idea. But used well, a vision board can be a helpful tool.

What the research says

Psychologist Gabriele Oettingen has studied positive thinking for decades. In a 2002 paper with Doris Mayer, she distinguished between positive expectations (beliefs, based on past experience, that something is likely) and positive fantasies (pleasant images of a desired future). Across several studies, positive expectations predicted better outcomes, while indulging in positive fantasies often predicted worse outcomes, such as less effort and lower achievement.

Her explanation: fantasising about success can give the mind a taste of the reward, reducing the motivation to work for it.

This doesn't mean vision boards are useless. It means they work best as reminders of goals you're actively pursuing, combined with realistic planning.

How to make a vision board that helps

1. Choose specific goals

Start with a few concrete goals, not vague wishes. "Be healthier" is vague. "Run a 10 km race in the spring" is specific. Our life list builder can help you identify goals.

2. Keep it focused

Choose five to ten images or words. A crowded board becomes wallpaper you stop noticing.

3. Include actions, not just outcomes

Alongside images of the outcome, include words or images representing the process: running shoes, a notebook, a calendar, a phrase like "write every morning".

4. Think about obstacles

Following Oettingen's research on mental contrasting, consider the main obstacle for each goal and how you'll handle it. You could add a small note on the board or keep these plans in a separate journal.

5. Add a plan

For each goal, write the first step and when you'll take it. A vision board without a plan is just decoration.

6. Put it where you'll see it

A board in a drawer won't help. Put it near your desk, on the fridge or as your phone or computer background.

7. Review and update

Every month or so, look at your board. Which goals have you made progress on? Which need adjusting? Replace images as your goals change.

Making one

You can make a physical board with magazines, scissors, glue and a corkboard, or a digital one. Our free vision board builder lets you arrange your own photos and words on a canvas and save the result as an image. Everything stays on your device.

A family or group activity

Vision boards can be a fun activity with family or friends, especially at the start of a year. Children can make boards about things they'd like to learn or try. Sharing goals can also build support and accountability.

Try this

Choose three to five specific goals. Make a simple vision board with images representing both the outcomes and the actions. For each goal, write the main obstacle and the first step. Put the board somewhere you'll see it every day.

Sources and further reading

Oettingen & Mayer (2002), The motivating function of thinking about the future: expectations versus fantasies, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology

Questions people ask

Should my vision board be private?

It's up to you. Some people find a private board more honest; others like a shared family board that builds support. Either way, pair it with a written plan.