Productivity is a highly personal achievement. Each person has their talents, pace, and methods for achieving their best productivity. Quite frankly, most of us haven't discovered the methods that help us reach truly optimal productivity. How do you increase productivity at work?

Would you benefit more from meditation in the morning or from a bran muffin? Do you need to walk around thinking during the day? Or would you do better preserving your focus in a closed office?

Each person is unique in how they will optimize their productivity, but we can all share a few tips on accelerating. Today, we're here to talk about eight helpful ways to increase your productivity and test the waters to find those optimal methods for your workflow.

1) Productivity in Small Bites

Start measuring your progress in smaller units. Instead of a project is "done" and "not done", break it down into individual tasks. If you're having trouble getting started on a job, break it down further. Tackle your productivity a micro-task at a time and soon you'll be stacking dozens of efficient micro-tasks into tangible achievement.

2) Hold Yourself Accountable

Try to avoid blaming other things, computers, or people for setbacks - even if they played a part. Start by taking responsibility for your performance and the final results of your work, no matter what other influences may have been involved. When you hold yourself accountable, you can start building a game plan to fix all setbacks based on the actions you individually can take.

3) Forgive Yourself for Imperfect Productivity

At the same time, don't be too harsh with yourself. Use a responsibility to inspire creativity, but forgive yourself for imperfections. No one reaches maximum productivity all the time. For most people, the optimal productivity zone is spun up into and one wind down out of. So if you're groggy in the morning, distracted in the afternoon, or even struggle during your peak hours, allow yourself to be human.

Getting too focused and worried about your productivity does the opposite of helping because it draws your attention away from the tasks at hand.

4) Focus Into Monotasking

There was a two-decade push toward multitasking but the tides have turned. It has been revealed that while multi-tasking is an important skill, it can also prevent you from spinning up to optimal productivity. So try mono-tasking instead. Focus on one in-depth task or project and turn off all other alert media that might interrupt you. Instead of doing three things lightly, do one thing well.

5) Stand Up to Work

Standing desks are a trend for a reason. Standing increases blood flow, which is good for your brain, and makes you feel more alert. You may notice that you think better when pacing or that you stand when brainstorming. We suggest standing for 30 minutes to 4 hours per day during your work. Install an adjustable standing desk or just stack your keyboard onto a small box and work while standing during the day.

Just see if this is one of the special tricks that transform your productivity when you change your working style.

6) Sneak Exercise Like Bonus Points

Another great blood flow hack is sneaky exercise. Deskercising is an exec success secret that has been trendy over the last few decades. Essentially, figure out ways to do body-weight and lightly weighted exercises while sitting or standing at your desk. Slip exercises into your coffee break routine or work up a sweat and grab a shower over lunch.

By getting your blood pumping, you can increase your brain's function and stave off those afternoon nap-time urges.

7) Anti-Procrastinate

Challenge yourself to do the opposite of procrastinating - take care of small tasks as soon as they are presented. This is sometimes called the "two-minute rule". If a task will take two minutes or less to complete, do it immediately before leaving the room or moving on to something else. This simple policy will help you keep your life cleaner, better organized, and with an unbelievably reduced number of items on your universal to-do list.

8) Break Up Old Routines

Last but not least, break up your routine. Do something different than usual every day - find something new to change up. Cook breakfast foods for supper—open doors only with your off-hand. Rearrange how you use task windows on your desktop.

Force your brain to think about the world with new patterns and you will also find yourself thinking more creatively in all aspects of life. Not to mention identifying and blasting away any inefficiencies in your daily way of doing things.

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