17 easy productivity hacks that will help you crush it in 2016

Daniel Goodman / Business Insider

A new year is upon us and chances are, you're resolved to being a better person or higher achiever in 2016. 

And it might not be as hard as it seems.

A few simple tweaks to your routine can make you far more productive — which will really help you crush it in 2016.

Here are 17 simple things you can start doing now (and throughout the year) to set yourself up for success:

Wake up earlier.

This one is easier said than done ... we know.

But if you could just get into the habit of waking up 5 to 10 minutes earlier each morning, your life may improve significantly. 

"There are plenty of reasons to get up early," writes Business Insider's Shana Lebowitz. "You can work with fewer distractions from family and coworkers. You have time to exercise before appointments get in the way."

Luckily, there are plenty of tricks and strategies for getting an earlier start to your day, like setting a bedtime alarm or registering for an early-morning activity. 

Be on time.

This tip is personally endorsed by Virgin Group's billionaire founder Richard Branson, who wrote in a LinkedIn post about how being punctual has served him well during his 50 years in business. 

Not only is this respectful to your coworkers, friends, or significant other, he says, but it will also help you stick to your day's schedule. 

"Once you get behind, it is hard to catch back up again. Being punctual doesn’t mean rushing around the whole time," he explains. "It simply means [organizing] your time effectively."

Take a mid-morning coffee break.

Research has found that a mid-morning break is essential for your productivity.

A study led by Emily Hunter, Ph.D., and Cindy Wu, Ph.D., at Baylor University, which surveyed 95 employees, found that "the more time that had passed since the beginning of the workday, the less useful a break was," Business Insider reported. 

Why? Because you have the most energy and concentration in the morning, so it's easier to replenish such resources a few hours into the day than it would be later.