If you only tell people about progress when there is some, you’re reporting the weather only on sunny days.

Selective updates are a kind of lie that never says anything false. You go quiet during the stuck weeks and reappear when there is something good, so the people following along end up with a picture that skips every hard part. They cannot help you with a week they never heard about. Silence during the bad stretch also makes the next one lonelier.

Tell whoever is tracking your project where it actually is this week, including the part that has not moved. One sentence is enough. You will be surprised how often the answer is a suggestion rather than a lecture.