Why a vision board can be of massive help on your journey to better work-life balance?

If you are anything like me from the not-so-distant past, you have a hard time saying no to work. Whether it’s a project at work or something you’ve taken on at home, you always want to be doing more. And while there’s nothing wrong with being a go-getter, it can lead to burnout if you’re not careful.

I came across the idea of a vision book while watching a video by Sorelle Amore - a self-made millionaire. She spoke about the benefit of visualising and having your goals right there - in front of you. And it made sense, my psychologist brain lit up when I realised that as Disney says - if you can dream it - you can make it. And also the good old concept from psychology of self-fulfilling prophecy and of course the ''saying is believing'' concept too. An easy formula formed in my mind:

Dream > Visualise > Start saying it will happen > Set your brain on the ''make it happen'' mindset and watch your dreams turn into reality one by one.

That’s why I decided to create a vision book / board. This is a place where I can write down my goals, both personal and professional, and visualize what I want to achieve. Having a physical representation of my goals has been a massive help in keeping me on track and avoiding workaholism.

How does it help me stay off my workaholic tendencies?

Easy - here are the top reasons why a vision book / board can be of massive help when you begin your journey to workaholism-free life:

1. Helps you to map out what you really value in life outside of work

Are you one of those people who feels like they're stuck in a rut, going through the motions day in and day out? If so, then it's time to take a step back and figure out what you really want in life. And one way to do that is to create a vision book or board.

Creating a vision book or board can help you to focus on what's important to you and what you want to achieve. It can also serve as a reminder of your goals when you feel like you're losing sight of them.

Don't be afraid to dream big. And don't forget to take action towards your goals. Your vision book or board can be a powerful tool to help you create the life you want. But ACTION is the secret ingredient.

2. Helps you visualize what you’d rather be doing and investing your time, money and energy in

Making a vision book or board is an easy way to get in touch with what you truly want in life. By taking the time to cut out images and arrange them into a cohesive design, you can begin to see the big picture of what your ideal life looks like.

This exercise can also be helpful in identifying any areas of your life that may need attention or focus. If certain areas feel lacking or not represented well in your vision book or board, this may be an indication that more work needs to be done in these areas.

Simply put a vision book or board can help you visualize what great opportunities you have to put your time, money and energy in outside of work. By seeing your goals and dreams written down or posted in a visible place, it can help keep you motivated to achieve them. It can also serve as a reminder of what is important to you when life gets busy and stressful.

3. They are a visual reminder of your intentions and shape your thoughts and actions

The thing is, when you have a visual reminder placed somewhere you can see with ease and regularly, it will help you to shape your thoughts without you even realizing it. That's why I am massive on visual reminders - both for myself and my clients in my sex and relationship coaching practice at LIFESEXPERTS.

When I finished walking the Portuguese Camino, I bought myself a neckless and earrings from a shop near the Santiago de Compostela church. I made a promise to myself that I will wear the neckless until I have recovered from workaholism. I must highlight here, that there are two schools of thought around addiction recovery - you can read a bit about them here.

The process may be slow for some but it is absolutely worth it. The subconscious will start to work effectively in changing the way you think and the thoughts that preoccupy you. So eventually you find yourself with meaning and purpose to your life outside of work. And with time, it can even help you get out of the loop of workaholism!

So, a vision board is a visual reminder of your intentions. It shapes your thoughts and actions, and helps you stay focused on what you want to achieve. The act of creating a vision board is a visualization exercise, which helps you to see the things you want to manifest in your life more clearly.

4. Vision boards help you get unstuck

One of the benefits of using vision boards is that they can help you to get unstuck in your life. When you’re stuck, it can be difficult to get started on something new or take action towards your goal because you don’t know where to start.

A vision board can act as a focal point for your goals and remind you why you need to accomplish them. Additionally, vision boards can help decrease negative thinking by providing positive inspiration throughout your journey. Seeing all the progress you have made thus far gives you motivation to keep going and reach your final destination.

5. Vision boards will get you all fired up emotionally

Vision boards are a great way to get fired up emotionally and motivate yourself to act.

We often know what we don't want in life, what we don't want to do, what we don't want to have happen to us. But when our brain's focus is pushed to all the 'No's' and not given direction towards all the Hell, Yes's - it can get deflated and lost for direction.

Almost anything we have experienced in life has either been good or bad for us according to our dominant thoughts, emotions, and instincts at the time. And if we constantly focus on only negative aspects of our lives then eventually these thoughts will become our reality. On the other hand, if we focus regularly on positive aspects then those positive thoughts will eventually become our new reality (assuming we keep acting upon them!).

So, by creating a visual representation of what we want/need in our lives- whether it be fitness goals, financial abundance, loving relationships etc, we can effectively shift our dominant thoughts from negative ones to positive ones and finally manifest them into reality!

Vision boards work because they move us emotionally and encourage us to act upon what we want instead of focusing only on what we don’t want.

With all this said, if you're curious about what kind of images, ideas, and activities can go on your vision board - here is a whole article with cool things many of us would rather be doing than working...

Conclusion

I hope this post has helped you to be able to understand why a vision board is of massive help to your work-life balance journey. And now that you have a better idea of what a vision board is and why you should make one, it’s time to get to work!

I would love to hear your thoughts on how creating a vision board has helped you overcome work-life balance challenges. Please feel free to leave a comment below!