One of the questions I get asked a lot as a vision board coach, is what are the pros and cons of digital versus physical vision boards. There are a lot of vision board apps out there to help with the creation of a digital vision board but it is important before you start to think about what you want to do with your finished vision board.

There is no point in creating a vision board without having an action plan for it; you need to be able to see it every day, get inspired by it, and get into the energy of your goals. So having somewhere to put your vision board, whether that is in a physical location or somewhere digital like your desktop background or phone wallpaper is an important consideration.

I am a strong advocate of a physical vision board, but I completely get that there are so many different creative ways to do it digitally too and some people prefer that process. Later in the blog, I’ll share with you two ways you can create a digital vision board, however, there are loads of vision board apps with their own pros and cons that you can research online. If you’d like to learn more about how to create a vision board you can take my online lifetime access course, The Vision Board Course which talks you through my unique 5 step approach with lots of exercises and worksheets to support your journey as well as video coaching from me and a bonus manifestation masterclass.

The Benefits of Digital Vision Boards

In the vision board challenges and vision board classes that I have run, supporting over 500 people, I know that often people struggle to get the images that they want to match their goals when creating a vision board so creating it digitally can help this issue.

Aesthetically pleasing and “on brand”

Creating a digital vision board can be more aesthetically pleasing especially if you have brand colours or a certain style you want to create because you can choose the fonts, colours and images digitally and curate it in an easier way than sourcing images from magazines, journals and other materials. Using technology to support your creation can mean that you can make it look fabulous and also it's a really easy way to then be able to update it every year.

Easy to Access

The benefit of a digital vision board is that you can save it as an image to your phone wallpaper or laptop background and carry it with you at all times. You could choose a specific goal from your board to focus on that you are working on right now and change that up as you move through your goals.

If you have that goal as your background photo on your phone you will see it every time you pick up your phone which let's face it must be over 100 times a day! You can also have it as your desktop background so that when you're logging in for the day on your laptop you will see it each morning (let’s face it once we are online we rarely see our desktop but the applications we are in) or you have it as a screensaver, it's constantly there and it's constantly reminding you of your goals.

A world of images at your fingertips

When it comes to finding the right images for your vision board, because we don't have an infinite resource of magazines, it might be easier to find the exact image that you want using online free stock photos that are royalty-free images from sites such as Unsplash or Pexels. You can also use your own images too and add them to your board. Maybe you've been to a certain place before, and you want to bring that back, or the idea of being on a beach, relaxing working a four hour week, is emulated in a trip that you've already taken.

So you might want to do create a vision board digitally. So it looks fabulous, it looks perfect. But remember, it's not just about creating a shiny vision board.

It is about taking action afterwards and looking at that vision board every single day. You can also print it out, therefore you’ve got it digitally and can take it anywhere you go but you can also have it in a frame, somewhere you will see every day and bring your vision and goals to life a little more. One of the digital tools I love is The Big Dream where you can create a digital vision board, simply save it as a pdf file but you can also have it printed out on really high-quality paper, and get it shipped to you - they can frame it too so you can bring your digital design to life.

The Downsides to Digital Vision Boards

Now, when I talked about how you can save your vision board as the background image on your phone so you’re always carrying it around with you. How often though, do you really pay attention to the image that is on your phone? We pick up our phones so many times each day but how often do we truly lean into the energy of the photo that is our wallpaper?

Are you really seeing it?

The same could be said for your desktop background. I have SO many files sitting on my desktop that I can hardly see the image behind (yes I know, it needs a tidy up). But if you are the same… is this the best place to host your vision board and truly take action and inspiration from it each day?

When it comes to the design and setup of your digital vision board, although I could probably spend hours flicking through lots of lovely magazines to make my physical board. You can also spend a long time trying to find the ideal image to go on your digital vision board because there are so many images out there and so many free image websites that you could just browse and browse and never complete your board. And you've really got to trust your gut with the images that you choose. You've got to be able to resonate with them and sometimes that's just not possible with some of the digital images that we come across.

Digital Resources:

Canva is my go-to tool for any content creation - you can head here to create your own digital vision board

If you need a little inspiration and help with how to do this then you can use my great friend Audrey Wolf's made-for-you template that also utilises Canva. You can get $10 off using the code RACHEL which is good indefinitely. or you can head to The Big Dream™ to create a vision board to save as a pdf or get printed out and shipped to you - it's pretty amazing!

The downsides to a physical vision board

Obviously, it costs money to buy magazines, to have the card, the glue, the stickers, everything that you need to physically create a vision board. Plus it can be a lot harder to source magazines these days. Sadly after the Covid pandemic, many magazines have ceased publication so the pool of content is smaller than online.

Shortage of supplies

Sometimes you have to really hunt out a really good stationary shop or supermarket or newsagents where you can get different types of magazines as you need to have a range to choose from. You want to have various different magazines or newspapers with content and images that are relevant to you and the kind of goals that you're setting yourself.

So it can be hard to source them and not everyone has access to that content. So I understand how doing it digitally can be so much easier for people.

Lack of Space

A physical vision board takes up space. I should know, I have an A1 board on my office wall (which is also the spare room!). It depends on how big you make your vision board. Some people like to have a pinboard that they stick their images on. Others like to have at least an A4 piece of card, but you have to think about where you are going to put it.

You need to be able to see your vision board every single day. So I know some people that put them up in their bathrooms so that every single time they're in the bathroom, they're seeing the vision. Some people have them in their walk-in wardrobe, others have them at their desks. Some people have them in the kitchen, where are you going to put your board.

Because it will take up space. And also it is less private. So if you do live in a shared space, or are sharing office space you might want to consider where you are putting it, depending on what you are putting on your vision board and if you are going to need to explain it to others.

The benefits of a physical vision board

I want you to be able to see this vision board every single day, really tap into the energy of it and get motivated and get excited by it.

Raising your target energy

This is where I truly believe the pros of a physical vision board come in. The physical process of putting your energy and your intention through the material you use might sound a little bit woo-woo, but this is how it works for me. When I'm going through the magazines trying to find images to suit my goals, I can instantly get drawn into certain images that captivate me. This is part of the process you go through and can help you set your intentions as you create something and personally I feel this is a little bit more exciting than the digital vision board method. It's also a very tactile process and you feel, I believe a little bit more in tune with your vision board.

Let’s get creative

It can also be a lot more fun if you are creative in this way, and you like the whole kind of "cutting out and sticking" element and bringing a piece of work together. I believe that you get more in alignment and therefore can take more inspired action by truly resonating with the images as you're browsing and creating.

There is also something more solid and accountable about having a board in front of you, having it front and centre in your life and tapping into that energy every day.

It’s about getting really clear on what you want to achieve and then taking inspired action to get there.

So there you go, those are my pros and cons for physical versus digital boards.

There are no right answers. It's completely up to you what you want to do and how you want to do it. If you want to get clear on your goals, create a vision for the life you want to lead and take inspired action to achieve it all then take The Vision Board Course; a five-module lifetime access course that gives you all the tools and techniques to make a vision board work for you.

I also host virtual vision board workshops and vision board classes for corporate teams. This year I’ve presented to Google, Kargo and Target and many other US tech companies on the power of vision boards for both personal development and business strategy. Find out more here.

The pros and cons of digital versus physical vision boards