How to make a vision board that works, according to a neuroscientist
Photography and words by Alisa Bittner
“When you visualise something you want from the perspective of already having it, you’re priming yourself to be more aware of opportunities.”
Vision boarding is having a moment. If your TikTok algorithm is anything like mine, you’re probably inundated with videos of people comparing how their 2024 went, to what was on their vision boards, set to a Gracie Abrams track.
I enjoy setting intentions for the new year but my motivation to achieve them wanes as the initial excitement of running a marathon and saving thousands of dollars fades. The sheer excitement of setting an astronomical amount of life-changing goals, means I’ve made many Pinterest-perfect vision boards, only to store them at the top of my wardrobe where they gather dust and are never looked at again.
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But this year, I want to change. I’ve inhaled manifestation books and podcasts, heard stories firsthand from friends who’ve created vision boards and saw their dreams become reality (sometimes even better than they imagined!) in just a matter of months. It’s possible – but it involves more than just sticking a few aesthetic pictures and quotes onto some cardboard. It’s actually science.
Be clear and realistic about your goals
Creating a vision board is just the first step. Whether you prefer drawing, using Canva, or making a physical collage, the key is ensuring your board encapsulates all facets of your desired life, like your relationships, your health, your career, and your travel goals.
It should also reflect realistic goals but that doesn’t mean you can’t aim for the stars. In fact, you absolutely should. As Alexis Fernandez-Preiksa, neuroscientist and host of the podcast ‘Do You F*cking Mind?’ explains, “Your vision board should reflect things you see for yourself. It might not be happening right now but it is possible. Your perception determines your reality and it’s going to determine what your actions are.”
With each goal, you need to be clear on what exactly you want to achieve. Instead of writing ‘I want to travel more,’ go deeper. Where exactly do you want to go? How long will you stay? What will you do there? The more vivid your vision, the better. Remember, each image on your vision board should be a doorway to all these positive thoughts, memories and emotions.
“Each goal on your vision board should have tangible markers that you can measure. If you can’t measure it, then you can’t really track the progress to achieving it. A good thing to do for every photo on your board is to ask yourself, ‘Is this specific enough that it can be measured?'”
Practise active visualisation
To actually turn your goals into reality, you need to pair these goals with active visualisation. “How visualisation works is that your brain (in certain aspects of how it operates), struggles to differentiate between vividly imagined experiences and real life events. That’s why we can feel the physical emotions of anxiety. But in the same way, we can make our brains imagine the experience we want to be in,” says Alexis.
“When you visualise something you want from the perspective of already having it, you are actually more primed to be open to conversations about that thing, putting yourself out there and doing something that’s probably more daring than you’re normally willing to do. You are priming yourself and you are more aware of opportunities.”
For example, if your dream is to go to Paris, Alexis recommends visualising the experience. How will you feel? Where exactly will you be? Who are you with? What does the experience look like? It then becomes emotional; you start bringing in the senses. You want the visualisation to be emotionally and positively charged. This reinforces neural circuits, which helps make the goal feel more achievable and realistic. When you think something is possible, how you approach that thing will change.
Connect with your vision board regularly
Alexis recommends not only having your vision board as your phone background but also placing it somewhere accessible, like on your wall in your bedroom, so it’s within your awareness. “You should regularly connect with your vision board, even if it’s just for a few minutes a couple of times a week. Remind yourself of why you’re doing what you’re doing and why you want to achieve these things. You want to regularly visualise the experience and connect with the positive emotions they evoke.”
“When you connect to the emotion of the experience, it’s a lot easier to stay on track and focused on what you’re doing. All the little things start to have more meaning and importance. The process starts to become more enjoyable because of that.”
Balance visualisation with action
When discussing the importance of taking action, Alexis emphasises the need for balance, “Vision boards are one of the best ‘soft actions’ you can take. This is basically an indirect action towards a goal. But a ‘bold action’ is where you’re physically doing the thing: going to that job interview, actually reaching out, making the phone call, and doing the work. Soft action is very supportive of bold action, but make sure you balance both. You can’t live in soft action because nothing is ever going to happen.”
For more on vision boards, read this.
