This has parallels with dieting advice I've heard recently: If you're trying to lose weight, it's helpful not to focus on the weight, because the weight is a symptom, not a cause. Your eating is the cause, and you should be thinking about that, right now, rather than focusing on the future...

I _try_ to only think about word count occasionally, and then only when I'm writing a first draft. Because sometimes it's good for me to just keep bashing words out, pretty much regardless of quality...