Small Wins, Big Progress: Think of It Like Laundry!

109- Small Wins, Big Progress: Think of It Like Laundry!

Ever feel like the small steps you take don’t matter? Think again. In this episode, I’m breaking down how little actions—like starting a load of laundry—can lead to big progress in your mental, emotional, and physical health.

We’ll explore why consistency beats perfection, how breaking goals into smaller steps prevents overwhelm, and why celebrating every win (no matter how small) keeps momentum going. Whether you’re navigating the holiday season, working toward weight loss, or building new habits, this episode will inspire you to focus on what’s manageable and meaningful.

Let’s ditch the all-or-nothing mindset and start creating sustainable success, one small step at a time.

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Transcript

Today, we're going to talk about how small wins, like a simple load of laundry, can help you make big progress.

This can be in your mental, emotional, or physical health. But before we do, if you're finding me for the first time, I'm Clarenda Price. I'm a certified life and weight loss coach. And prior to that, I was a registered nurse for 21 years and a personal trainer.

I help heart centered women like you who are thriving in many areas of life, yet are finding it hard to keep the balance between enjoying life as well as losing weight.

They want to be able to maintain their energy and stamina, especially when life throws the challenges at them.

If you want weight loss simplified and you want to experience more benefits than simply the number on the scale going down, as great as that is, then you found the right podcast.

I love to give you a taste of what it's like to lose weight in a way that feels light in your mind and body. And today we're going to use the analogy of laundry simply because it's so relatable.

You know that feeling when you throw in a load of laundry and then your brain's saying to you, yeah, but you haven't folded the last one, or you haven't even cleaned the bathrooms, but then you come back to, but I've put a load of laundry in, I've started it. I know once it's in there, I'm going to tend it.

That's the feeling I'm talking about, that we're getting the momentum going.

If we continue to do these small, consistent actions, then they will gain power, they will gain the momentum. They may not feel like they're making a difference in the moment, but they are. They're preventing the chaos from piling up and eventually you will feel the difference and even notice the difference.

I'd like for you to have some clear takeaways from each episode, so today I have three for you. One is small steps keep things manageable. Think about it. Starting a load of laundry keeps you ahead of the mess, keeps you from it all accumulating. And it can be the same for your goals.

Small actions like journaling for five minutes instead of thinking, Oh, I don't have a half hour to do so, or adding in an extra glass of water, taking a power nap when you need it, if you've had disrupted sleep, getting out for a five minute walk. All of those things, those small actions are adding up and will make a difference.

They are the load of laundry moments in your life. You don't have to overhaul everything. You just start with, break it down into small steps, manageable steps and as you do that, it will keep you out of overwhelm. It'll have you believing that it's possible and that you don't have to be Wonder Woman or wave a magic wand in order for everything to happen.

You can think of it as at least I'm maintaining a certain level, but I also like to think of it as I'm gaining momentum because when you can check one thing off and you can feel good about it, you're more apt to go on and do the next thing or if you've thrown that load of laundry in, you're more apt to tend it when you come home or at the next chance that you get than if you had never started.

And that five minutes of journaling might be simply a thought download, getting everything out of your mind, getting it onto paper. The ripple effect of that will be when you go to bed at night, when our mind is normally trying to rebalance everything, when we're in the rapid eye movement, the REM sleep. If we have taken care of some of that ahead of time, then it can then process the rest of it.

But if we go to bed and we're in overwhelm, there's so much, so many things to try to process. And we have a short amount of time and space to be able to do so. That's when we're going to wake up and we're going to feel like, did I get enough sleep? I don't feel very rested. Or it might even be, Automatically waking up with that anxiety, stress and overwhelm.

So if we can help it out and take care of some of that and get it out on paper, then the mind can do what can do beautifully and that's give us a natural reset.

And number two is you don't have to do it all at once. Really, probably no one except for maybe yourself expects you to do everything all at once. So putting the laundry in and then making sure before you do anything else, you're folding it and you're putting it away and you complete it. Now maybe you're one of those women that can do that.

I can sometimes on my days off, but if I'm working from home, it's a matter of getting it started and then on my break, doing a little bit and then maybe the next break, finishing it off.

So for you, if you're working at the office, it might be starting it in the morning, getting it into the dryer before you walk out the door and then you know that when you come home, it's going to be ready to fold. Hopefully it's not the ironing things. It's probably like your towels that can sit all day.

And then once everything's done for the evening, you can finish that off. Maybe while you're listening to this podcast or watching a TV show and just winding down.

The same is true for your health goals. So whether that's losing weight or it's your emotional growth, or maybe it is navigating and managing all the chaos of the holidays. It doesn't all need to happen today. Everything doesn't need to get fixed.

So break it down. Focus on one thing at a time. Maybe you are thinking, I want to be able to eat healthier this year, this December through the holidays than I did last year. Instead of thinking, everything has to be done just right, why not focus on one meal at a time? What can I do differently with this meal or with this party than I have before?

And if it's on your emotional wellness or resilience, you might want to start with 10 minutes of mindfulness, of prayer, of meditation, of journaling in the morning. Like I said before, it doesn't have to be 30 minutes. You just get started and that's when you're going to start to see a difference.

One of your takeaways can be progress isn't doing it all. Progress is just starting with something. I took five minutes yesterday to just start making three lists and So I have them here, excuse the paper, they're a little Christmassy paper.

I put them into categories like the last week of Christmas, what it is, and they have a cooking, baking section, so that then I can refer to that for my grocery list, which I put on my phone notes, grocery list, as well as the last few gifts and gift cards that need to be bought.

I put in a list here of early, what, I can start doing now because you know how there's some things you have to do last minute. And part of that is I want to have my gift cards. I want to have all the gifts done within the next week. And then to progressively decorate. Notice I didn't say decorate it at all.

I put in a list here of early, what, I can start doing now because you know how there's some things you have to do last minute. And part of that is I want to have my gift cards. I want to have all the gifts done within the next week. And then to progressively decorate. Notice I didn't say decorate it at all.

I know some of you do and I've done it before. But right now depends on your stage in life. Right now at the season of my life, I don't want to take an extra day off to just do that. I'm going to do it more in my evenings when my creative juices aren't flowing as much, but it's also relaxing because I can enjoy it. I also want to declutter as I go through this.

And then I have a new list this year and it's cutting out. What am I going to cut out? And why I like to put that there. I was talking about this with a life coach client is, it's gonna declutter our mind and we won't be wondering I wonder if I'll have time to do that.

Should I do that? Is that gonna be worth doing? Is that what everyone wants? You can just make the decision and say and for me it's like this year I'm not going out in the woods to cut fresh pine and I was like, do I like my reasons for that? And I do, I won't go into it, but there's reasons that this year it's good.

It's okay. I'm not going to do the front and back planters like I like to do or put lights up on my patio. That's okay. I'm focusing on the area that we spend 99 percent of the time. That's what I'm focusing on.

And also what I'm not going to make this year. I'm not going to make, Bri doesn't care about the Skor bits squares anymore. So it's like, yes, okay, that temptation is gone. I'm not going to do party mix. And then I have more things there, but just starting that gives me some momentum and it also brings some closure.

So that is an easy step to do, and it was very helpful because I'm recording this on a Friday, which is Black Friday, we had a snowstorm last night here in Canada, and about a quarter to one, my power went out, and then didn't come back on till ten something this morning.

So I was able to look at my list while I was sitting at a coffee shop and say, Hmm. Okay, maybe I can run and get this gift card. So I got two gift cards that I needed to do and I also picked up a few stocking stuffers. So by having that list and being able to quickly look at it, I was able to do it like that and get that done.

And number three is celebrate every step. So when you toss that load of laundry in, you're like, yes! It may seem simple, but There's an energy with that. So it's like, yes, I did that. Okay, good job. Now, when am I going to change it? Decide when, and then when that time comes, follow through.

And it's the same with your health goals. Maybe you're like, I'm just going to do the 10 minute walk and once I do that, if I decide I want to go more, I'll do that. Maybe I'll take the stairs instead of the elevator this morning at work. Maybe I'll have three bites of a dessert instead of thinking I have to finish my plate at the party tonight. Those are all wins. And during the holiday season especially, consistency is more important than perfection.

My clients are strategizing. We've been talking about it. Some are saying that they want to continue to lose weight and others are saying, Hmm, I'm just going to maintain. When we say maintain, it's that two to three pound depending on how many pounds you have to lose, but on average, we'll say two to three pound fluctuation that comes maybe from not drinking enough water one day or having some sodium or a little extra calories on one day. But that's the fluctuation we're talking about.

And if you're wondering if it's possible, it is very possible. It's how I've been living for quite a few years now and it just feels really good. There's not that emotional roller coaster of, "Oh my gosh, I gained eight pounds" like I've done before over the holiday season and now I've got to get back at it. Now I'm going to cut out everything that I love instead of being able to intersperse things that you love and doing so in a way that doesn't impact your final goal in the long run.

Last night in our group coaching call, Rachael was celebrating the American Thanksgiving and she's like, I don't know what the scale is going to say tomorrow morning, but she felt good at the choices that she made and the exceptions that she did have.

She put in the group this morning that she was down a pound and that's inspiring because it gives everyone else the belief, the possibility that, whoa, okay, even for a holiday, even after Thanksgiving, I can still lose weight and it's inspiring to everybody. That's the power of the group.

Pause and ask yourself, if you've been doing a certain healthy habit, you've started to get momentum, ask yourself, do I want to continue that through December? And what will that look like for me? What will that mean? Will it mean that I have to say no to going to a party?

Let me tell you, I don't. I'm going to a nursing party tonight and I can't wait. We're going to have fun. I am going to eat things that I wouldn't normally eat. That's my exception, eats, and I'm okay with that.

I've eaten super clean today. I haven't starved myself and I'm looking forward to the connection as much as I am the food. And that's a beautiful thing. There's nothing wrong with having pleasure and enjoying your food. That's part of life.

It's when we overindulge. It's when we overeat, overdesire, and that's our focus, usually it's because we are making the food a higher priority and more meaningful than those around you from the experience around you or you're just not experiencing as much joy in life. We all have those seasons as well, but there are ways that won't bring you down in your health. That's the biggest thing.

So by asking yourself that question and then deciding those little mental shifts are going to open up your mind to think, Oh yeah, okay, we can do this. We can do something this month. We don't have to just wait until January and that takes you out of the all or nothing thinking.

You can just experiment with it and think for this next event, can I skip dessert? Do I want to have a couple of bites instead of having like a dessert and another dessert and another dessert. What do I want to do?

I like to take a little bit of each thing and put it into the size of one dessert if I'm going to have one. That's delicious. I get to experiment and try other things and that's it. The thing is it's not to continue it the next day. It's to not make it mean like ah, I messed up. No, it's all planned for. Get curious and just see what it is you can make a simple shift for so that you can see the progress.

I remind myself of how I want to feel the next morning, how I want to sleep that night. If I want to have more energy. I know what's coming ahead of me and I just want to be prepared for that. That gives my brain direction. It calms my brain to say I could have it if I want it, but I don't and here's why.

Or, I do, and here's why, and I like my reasons. I dive into a little bit more of the tips and the how, kind of the nitty gritty, in some of my previous podcasts. So If you watch last week's, it's on video, that would be episode 108, but number 5, 6, 55, and 56 are on audio and they're all holiday related.

So, if you're folding that laundry and you want to binge watch and listen to a few podcasts, enjoy, set yourself up. I think it will encourage you and empower you. Don't use it against yourself. Don't use it like, Oh, I can never be like that.

For one thing, maybe you haven't had this approach before. Maybe you're like I used to be and it was, you're on a diet or you're not. You're on the bandwagon or you're not.

That's tiresome. That's emotionally exhausting. And I get it. I understand why so many people get tired of it and say, I'm done. I can't do it. There's something wrong with me. Everyone else can seem to do it. I've been there, done that. I'm done. I don't want that to be your story.

So if you have any interest in 2025, if you want to say, I want to be healthier, I want to be healthier no matter what age I'm at, and you're not quite sure what to do or how to go about it, or you know, but you're like, I know it, but why am I not doing it?

The accountability and the support and the coaching, it's brain based and you will notice your brain will change. We can rewire, we can refire new neurons and create the new neural pathways that's just going to make everything easier and faster.

Resetting your hunger hormones is going to be very important after some of the indulgence that'll happen over these holiday seasons. And that's what we do right in week number two or three. Anyway, I've opened up the wait list. It's going to start in January. So go right to the show notes. Check it out. Sign up. There's a link there and that way you'll be first to know when it's going to be happening and Yeah, I'm looking forward to next year.

I can't wait to see the transformations that's going to happen in people's lives. It's not just in the weight. There's so much more. There's the lightness that comes. There's the ripple effect on family, relationships, and your work.

So, let's quickly recap. Number one was small steps keep things manageable. It keeps you out of overwhelm and it keeps your momentum going. It helps you realize and think that progress is achievable.

Number two is you don't have to do it all at once. Break it down. Don't stress yourself out so that you can still enjoy time with your family.

Number three is celebrate every step. It's little things like I mentioned, giving yourself a high five, saying great job, you did it. Those encouragements, being your own cheerleader, they're going to make a difference in how you feel and you're going to feel a difference in the drive and motivation.

We tend to overestimate what we can do in a short amount of time and underestimate what we can do long term. So, think about it. What is your laundry list today?

I'm guilty of making this long list, thinking I can get so many things done in a day and then at the end, what happens is my brain provides all the evidence, shows me everything I didn't get done. I have to say, wait a minute, but what did I do?

When I'm at my best, I like to put an asterisk on three of the most important tasks that need to be done that when I go to bed at night, I'm going to feel really good that I've done it. They're the needle movers and then anything else that I get done, that's the bonus.

So what's your laundry load today? Maybe it is, if I can get it around here, more water that you're going to just keep sipping. You're going to carry your water with you. Maybe it is cleaning out your fridge because that's been stressing you out. Every time you open the fridge door you're like, Oh, there's something in here that needs to go.

Or it's simply taking five minutes to rest and reset. Take a few deep breaths and know that every action that you take, every step, every task is taking you to the next one and the next one. You are making progress, so you need to celebrate it.

If this episode resonated with you, share it with someone else and spread that love, spread that encouragement. And remember, the waitlist link is in the show notes, so you can go to that, get your name on there, share that with a friend, say, Hey, let's do this together come January. Most of all, remember that every little step you do is going to make a difference. Don't discount them. Just start. Because not only do they make a difference, you're also making a difference in your own life as well as in others.