Keeping track of your word count can be a huge help. It helps you see how you've improved, helps you keep track of how many words you write each day, and tbh, it's very satisfying to look back over it and think to yourself "Wow!" 

I kept track of mine on Google Sheets, but any spreadsheet or even a journal will probably work just fine. It also helps to have an estimate of what you want your final word count to be. For example, the famous book "War and Peace" by Leo Tolstoy is 587,287 words long. That is a really long read! On the other hand, C. S. Lewis's "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe," a children's book, is only 36,363 words long. My book, "Thief's Quest," was originally planned to have about fifty thousand words, but as I wrote, I realized there was no way I could write the story in so few words, so the final count is nearly 71,600 words. 

Personally, I think 65,000- 100,000 words is a good range for YA or children's books. 

So, keeping track of your word count can be a fantastic help.

I hope this helped! Keep on writing :D

-Ash-