I focus on positive progress.

Progress is nearly invisible from inside it. You notice it sideways: at the top of the stairs, realizing you didn't stop on the landing to catch your breath the way you did all spring.

Focus is the interesting instruction. Attention isn't neutral, and whatever you look at gets larger. Spend an evening auditing what slipped and the slippage becomes the story of the whole month.

This isn't about ignoring the dips. It's about who narrates. Two months of steady effort with four bad days inside it is a good two months. It is also, if you tell it a certain way, a story about four bad days.