How to Create a Midlife Vision Board That Actually Works (No Scissors Required)

Let's be honest—you've seen those perfectly curated vision boards on Pinterest. Magazine cutouts, glitter, and promises of manifestation magic.

But here's the thing: I'm in my fifties, I'm menopausal, and my hormones are all over the place. I don't have time for scissors, hunting down magazines, or glue sticks that dried out in 2019.

That hustle culture approach? It doesn't match where we are in midlife. So I created a better method—one that actually works for women over 40 navigating perimenopause and menopause.

I've designed a complete Canva vision board template with a mini course showing you exactly how to use it.

Get instant access and create your midlife vision board in under 30 minutes.

Why Traditional Vision Boards Fail Women in Midlife

Traditional vision board workshops don't work for us anymore because our brains and bodies have changed. Perimenopause and menopause alter how we process motivation, plan ahead, and maintain focus.

Brain fog isn't laziness—it's hormonal fluctuation. So why use productivity systems built for people with stable hormones? We need a different approach, and that's exactly what this five-step method delivers.

Step 1: Release Before You Receive

Most vision board tutorials jump straight to what you want to manifest.

But if you don't make space first, there's nowhere for the good stuff to land.

Before creating room for what's next, ask yourself these honest questions:

• What patterns of behavior are keeping you stuck? Are you saying yes to people who would never show up for you?

• What excuses no longer serve you?

• What emotion are you ready to let go of?

We're taught to push through and never say no. But that approach is destroying us. We need to make space for ourselves.

For me, I'm releasing comfort eating—those crisps and extra wine when I'm stressed. And if I'm brutally honest, it's also laziness. I'm releasing resentment toward my husband's creative freedom while I'd abandoned my own creativity.

Write down what you're releasing. Honesty is essential here.

Step 2: Fill the Void with Your Real Dreams

You've identified what you're releasing, but what are you filling those spaces with?

This isn't about where you should be or where someone else expects you to be. What dreams have been sitting on the back burner for way too long?

It doesn't have to be extravagant. Maybe it's:

• Finally clearing out clutter that's been weighing on you

• Taking a trip you've postponed for years

• Pursuing a creative hobby you abandoned

• Achieving something meaningful for someone you love

Real story: When I moved out 25 years ago, I got laid off and dumped in the same week. My mum worked exhausting hours but still lifted me up.

She'd always wanted to visit Blackpool Illuminations. I put it on my vision board, manifested the money, and made it happen. That's the power of intentional goal-setting combined with action.

Step 3: Use The Wheel of Life to Get Clear

The Wheel of Life helps you assess where you currently are across eight key areas:

• Emotional wellbeing

• Work and career

• Fun and leisure

• Personal growth

• Relationships

• Family

• Health and fitness

• Money and finances

Rate each area from one to five.

For me, money is about a three due to self-employment uncertainty. Creativity and fun are also threes—areas I want to dramatically improve.

Research from Dominican University found that people who wrote down their goals and assessed current progress were 42% more likely to achieve them than those who kept goals in their heads.

My vision board template includes a Wheel of Life worksheet to help you identify exactly where to focus your energy in 2026.

Step 4: Focus on Process, Not Just Destination

Here's where midlife women get sabotaged: Dopamine—the hormone behind motivation—is seriously compromised during menopause. The decline in estrogen impacts our ability to sustain motivation like we could in our twenties and thirties.

Just visualizing success doesn't work for us anymore. We need the process, not just the destination.

Think about finding batch-cooked chilli in your freezer—brilliant, you don't have to cook! But that relief came from the entire process: planning, shopping, cooking, portioning, freezing.

On my vision board under "Healthy Habits," I don't just have images of perfect meals. I've got:

• The words "meal plan"

• Pictures of ingredients and legumes

• Fresh vegetables

• The actual steps I need to take

Perfection is prison. Your vision board needs to show the steps you're taking, not just the outcome you want.

Grab my Canva template and mini course to see exactly how I map out processes on my vision board—plus learn Canva basics if you're new to the platform.

Step 5: Make It Digital and Make It Stick

Here's a game-changing stat: People over 45 look at their phones 205 times per day.

So why put your vision board on a bedroom wall where you see it twice daily?

My vision board lives on my phone lock screen, iPad, and laptop. Every time I check my phone—which is constantly—there it is.

Consistent recognition that subconsciously seeps into your brain.

Plus, I use habit stacking based on Dr. Phillipa Lally's research. Connect your vision board to things you already do:

• If I have my morning tea, then I look at my vision board

• If I start my wind-down routine, then I check in with my progress

The Weekly Reset: Your Secret Weapon

Our hormones fluctuate constantly. Most productivity systems are built for stable hormones—that's not us. So why work against our bodies?

I do a five-to-ten-minute weekly check-in during my Sunday night bath. In that relaxed state, I ask:

• Does this still work for me?

• Do I still want this?

• Have I achieved it?

• Has anything shifted?

Then I adjust. This flexibility isn't failure—it's being smart about working with your body, not against it.

Your Dreams Are Valid—Stop Putting Yourself Last

Our midlife dreams matter. We can absolutely go after what we want—we just need to stop putting ourselves at the back of the queue.

The menopause brain fog, hormonal fluctuations, and motivation challenges aren't character flaws. They're real physiological changes requiring adapted strategies.

This five-step vision board method works because it's built specifically for women in midlife. It acknowledges our reality instead of pretending we can hustle like we did decades ago.

Create Your Midlife Vision Board Today

Get my complete Canva template + mini course and start building your vision board in under 30 minutes. No scissors, no magazines, no overwhelm—just honest reflection and intentional goal-setting that fits your actual life.

The template includes:

• ✓ Fully customizable Canva vision board layout

• ✓ Wheel of Life assessment worksheet

• ✓ Step-by-step mini course on using Canva (perfect for beginners)

• ✓ Habit stacking worksheets

• ✓ Weekly reset prompts

Remember you're not broken. Your hormones are just having a party you didn't RSVP to. But with the right tools, you can still create the life you want in 2026 and beyond.

Here's to your best year yet—and to finally putting yourself first.

All my luv

Marv

My vision board!