As a writing coach, I’ve heard countless writers complain about their numbers. Or, more accurately, I’ve lost count. Often somebody will hook into a goal number (daily word count, annual income, how many likes on a post) that disappoints–whether they hit that number or not. And many others don’t identify a goal number from the outset, but then lament that whatever number they’re looking at is “not enough” (or possibly “too much”). Using numbers against ourselves in this way is largely counterproductive, both for achieving goals and for enjoying our writing lives. I recently noticed that more than listeners have downloaded a quarter million episodes of the Writing Coach Podcast.  250k is a data point that doesn’t actually mean much in practical terms. It’s a fairly arbitrary number … as are so many of our writing metrics. Even hitting the number of words you wanted for a writing session doesn’t necessarily mean that those words are brilliant, concise, or bloated.  Choosing to celebrate with little #podcakes is a lot more fun than not having cake. Having fun is valuable in its own right. And when we are in a playful state of mind, we’re far more able to step out of restrictive thought habits that shut down our creativity, energy, and motivation. Some of the very same games that you’ve naturally developed through playfulness with words can be applied to numbers. On this week’s episode, explore a few ways you can bring a little more fun to your own numbers.  🎉 This week marks a big celebration for the Writing Coach Podcast: 250,000+ downloads! If you’ve enjoyed an episode (or a couple hundred), please help another writer by sharing the Writing Coach Podcast. Recommend a fave episode or share a takeaway: + Leave a review on Apple Podcasts + Include it in a “best podcast” or writer resources list + Shout out with a screenshot or link on social media (tag me on Instagram stories @freelancewriterbootcamp and I’ll do the same) + Share a link in your newsletter: www.rebeccalweber.com/podcast  🔗 You may also like … WCP 132 Archives: Celebrating WCP 168 Wordle wisdom WCP 1: What’s your problem? ✏️ Work with me in Freelance Writer Bootcamp Break into your dream publications and get paid well while covering stories that matter. Alumni of my group coaching program have used the proven Bootcamp processes to break into the New York Times, the Guardian, Bustle, Fodor’s, Ms., Nat Geo Travel, Al Jazeera, the BBC, and many more.  Apply now for the next session: www.FreelanceWriterBootcamp.com 📝 More info and complete show notes: www.rebeccalweber.com/podcast233