VisionBoards

Vision boards are collages of images, words, and symbols designed to represent a person's goals or desired future. They can be physical boards or digital collections and are intended to help users visualize outcomes, maintain focus, and motivate action.

Creation typically involves identifying goals across areas such as career, health, relationships, finances; collecting images and phrases that symbolize those goals; arranging them on a board in a visually engaging way; placing the board in a location where it is regularly seen; some creators update or replace items as goals evolve; digital boards may use apps, photo collages, or slides.

The practice is associated with visualization and positive psychology techniques and is used in personal development, coaching, education, mindfulness, and goal setting. It aims to translate abstract objectives into concrete cues that trigger commitment and action.

There are physical vision boards, digital boards, and collaborative boards used in teams or classrooms. Some people maintain multiple boards, for different life domains; boards can be complemented by written action plans or SMART goals.

Research on visualization shows mixed results; some studies indicate benefits for motivation and task engagement, while others question long-term effects. Skeptics note that vision boards alone are unlikely to produce outcomes without concrete planning and effort. The concept has been popularized in media and self-help contexts, notably in relation to the law of attraction, though scientific support for that broader claim is limited.

Elements trace to visual goal-setting and mood cues, with modern vision boards gaining popularity in the late 20th and early 21st centuries, partly through media coverage and self-help programs.