If there's somebody in the house that wakes up before you, see if they're willing to put a hot cup of coffee by your bed half an hour before you want to get out of bed. The smell wakes you up gently. Caffeine takes about 30 minutes to kick in, so you can drink a little, drowse a little, and finally get out of bed with…

Well, your comment just helped wake me up :)

"Social interaction with a complete stranger" ? In the morning? Matthew don't you know to not let personal life seep into journalism? :D

"Use your computer as an alarm clock!"

Kick a can!