What should a vision board template include?

The template here has nine squares in a three-by-three grid. A word or feeling goes in the center, with eight life areas around it. Each square holds an outcome image, a feeling, a path image and an if-then line.

Do I have to fill in every life area?

No. Three or four areas that truly matter to you are plenty. Empty squares are better than ones you fill just because there’s space.

Can I use a vision board template digitally?

Yes. Set up a three-by-three grid in any collage or design app. For your phone, a version with four squares stacked vertically works best.

What size should a vision board be?

For a nine-square grid, something around 11 by 17 inches or a small corkboard works well. More important than size is that every image is recognizable at a glance.

Vision Board Template: A Simple Grid by Life Area

The blank poster board problem

You’re sitting in front of an empty poster board with a stack of magazines and no idea where to start. An hour later, there’s a colorful jumble of pretty pictures glued down, but it doesn’t quite feel like you.

That’s exactly where a template helps. It gives you structure without telling you what to want. Below is a grid you can recreate on paper or digitally, with guiding questions and two filled-in examples. For the general how-to, see how to make a vision board.

Why structure helps

At its core, a vision board is a collection of goals, and goals have solid research behind them. Edwin Locke and Gary Latham summarized decades of studies in 2002: specific, challenging goals lead to better performance than vague intentions like “I’ll do my best.” A grid forces you to get specific in every area.

Two more findings are baked into this template. Lien Pham and Shelley Taylor showed in 1999 that students who pictured the process of studying did better than students who only imagined the result. That’s why each square has a path image. And if-then plans showed a medium to large effect on goal attainment in Gollwitzer and Sheeran’s 2006 meta-analysis. That’s why each square has an if-then line.

The template: nine squares

Divide your poster board, corkboard or digital canvas into a three-by-three grid of equal squares. Here’s the layout:

Left	Middle	Right
Work and purpose	Love and partnership	Family and friends
Money and security	Center: your word or feeling	Home and place
Body and energy	Learning and growth	Joy and creativity

You don’t have to fill all eight areas. If three or four truly matter to you, leave the rest blank or swap in something of your own, like faith, nature or community. Empty squares are more honest than squares you fill just because they’re there.

Every square has four layers

To make a square more than a pretty picture, give it four elements. Make the outcome image big and arrange the other three around it.

Outcome image: a photo or drawing of what it looks like when it’s real.
Feeling: one word for how it should feel. Free, safe, alive, calm.
Path image: a small picture of the process. Running shoes, a calendar, an open book.
If-then line: a concrete first step. “When I plan groceries on Sunday, I add two new recipes.”

Fill-in guide: questions for each area

For each area you want to fill, take five minutes and answer two questions in writing. Only then start looking for images.

Work and purpose: When did you last feel truly alive at work? What do you want to do more of, and less of, a year from now?
Money and security: What is money for in your life? Which money decision would give you peace of mind?
Body and energy: How do you want to feel when you get up in the morning? What kind of movement do you enjoy?
Love and partnership: How should closeness feel in your everyday life? What do you want to give in a relationship?
Family and friends: Who do you want to spend more time with? Which shared ritual do you miss?
Home and place: Where do you feel most at ease? What would have to change about your home for it to support you more?
Learning and growth: What have you wanted to learn for years? Who would you like to be in five years?
Joy and creativity: When do you lose track of time? What did you love as a kid and haven’t done in ages?

For the center: read through all your answers and ask which feeling runs through them. That word goes in the middle. If you enjoy these questions and want to go deeper, try how to create a life vision.

Two filled-in examples

Leah, 34, wants a career change

Center: “Courage.”

Work: Outcome: a woman leading a workshop for a small group. Feeling: alive. Path: a laptop with an online course open. If-then: “When I get home on Tuesdays, I work on the course for 45 minutes.”
Money: Outcome: a jar labeled “transition fund.” Feeling: secure. Path: an automatic transfer. If-then: “When my paycheck lands, $150 goes into the transition fund.”
Friends: Outcome: dinner with three close friends. Feeling: held. Path: a calendar with the first Friday of each month circled. If-then: “When a new month starts, I send the invite to our group chat.”

Tom, 52, wants more energy and more family time

Center: “Present.”

Body: Outcome: a man biking down a country road. Feeling: fresh. Path: a bike helmet hanging by the door. If-then: “When it isn’t raining, I bike to work on Tuesdays and Thursdays.”
Family: Outcome: game night at the kitchen table. Feeling: connected. Path: a phone in a drawer. If-then: “When I get home at 7 p.m., I put my phone in the hallway drawer.”
Joy: Outcome: a guitar. Feeling: playful. Path: a songbook. If-then: “When I finish my Sunday coffee, I play for 15 minutes.”

Both examples deliberately fill only three squares. For more ideas by area, see vision board ideas.

Template variations

Minimal, four squares: two by two, for anyone who wants to stay focused. Three areas plus the center.
Year board: the grid plus a strip of four quarters along the bottom. More in vision board 2027.
Phone version: four squares stacked vertically, with your word at the top. To set it up as a wallpaper, see digital vision board.
For couples or families: a shared word in the center, each person designs one square, and two squares stay open for shared plans.

Common mistakes when filling it in

Images first, questions later. Start with magazines and you’ll glue down what’s pretty, not what you want. Write first, then search.
Every square full. Trying to change eight areas at once is overwhelming. Three or four is plenty.
Outcome images only. Without a path image and an if-then line, the board stays a wish list. Oettingen and Mayer (2002) even found that very positive fantasies without realistic expectations went along with less success.
Someone else’s yardstick. A house with a pool only makes a good outcome image if you truly want it. Ask of each image: who am I wishing this for?

For more on writing strong if-then lines, see implementation intentions.

The bottom line

A vision board template takes the fear out of the blank page and makes sure your board becomes more than a collage. Nine squares, one word in the center, four layers per square: outcome, feeling, path and first step. Fill only what truly matters and leave the rest blank. A clear board with three squares will carry you further than a crowded one with eight.

Vision Board Template: A Grid That Beats the Blank Page