Over the last five days, my social media has been filled with vision boards. As they usually are, every January.
I saw influencers revisiting theirs, tallying what had come true and what hadn’t. I’ve always believed in manifestation, but I never felt the need to make a vision board for myself.
This time around, though, maybe I did get influenced.
Here’s what I learned from doing the exercise: not a how-to, just a reflection.
First, it pushed me to think long-term. Lately, I’ve been so overwhelmed that I’ve been operating day to day. Thinking beyond a week felt exhausting; thinking about a whole year felt impossible. Visioning, oddly enough, made that feel less overwhelming.
Second, it nudged me to look at life more holistically. Not just work or fitness or productivity, but different parts of life together. Otherwise, goal-setting usually collapses into the same loop: gym more, work harder, maybe drink more water.
Third, it forced me out of words. Writing is my default way of processing things, but vision boards aren’t write-ups. I had to actually visualise. Hunting for images on Pinterest turned out to be surprisingly fun and revealing. I found myself searching for things I hadn’t consciously articulated before.
Fourth, I discovered a new appreciation for aesthetics. This might have something to do with my Japan travels last year (still strange to say last year already).
Finally, putting it all together on Canva helped me see that my year could have a purpose beyond just work, scrambling, or feeling perpetually overwhelmed. It now sits quietly as my wallpaper: a gentle reminder rather than a loud demand. Maybe I’ll even write another blog at the end of the year to see what came true.
For now, I simply enjoyed being intentional about imagining how this year could look and feel for me. I don’t think vision boards are the only way to do that – but I’m open to some hit and trial.
