My Weight Watchers scale died today, a week and a half into my “lose 20 pounds by June 1st” diet plan. I am one of those people who experiences a little stress when the number remains the same or goes up (who feels lighter when that happens? You don’t because, technically, you’re heavier).

I did, however, feel a slight sense of relief when it died, knowing the number that displayed right before going dark was probably a lie–at least, that’s what I told myself. Yay! No scale! And then I promptly thought about ordering one from Amazon Prime because it’d be here by tomorrow.

In many areas of life–including writing–you can literally be subservient to things that trigger stress your body can’t afford to live with over time. Actual pounds is one (if you’re overweight), the stress of not losing weight/working out/wanting to look sexy in a bikini in front of guys/insert your thought here/tackling a huge writing project of 50k word drafts every month.

Small chunks. This can also be referred to as portion control–if you’re eating.

Have a game plan and work towards small wins. I can see my hips slimming so I know I’ve lost some fat, even if my scale lied to me. Progress is key. If you’re not seeing progress, you’re doing something wrong (and I don’t care how much chicken and how many salads you eat, and how often you avoid sweets; fat is still fat). Even people with medical limitations manage to take control of their situations. Most of us probably don’t have that excuse, so let’s do something with our lives! And our writing.