Waking Up Early for the Oversleeper

Sorry for the lack of posts. I was in California last week to visit my future in-laws and my fiance has been recovering from a cold. We definitely got to relax while in California, but I still feel like I am running on fumes. I'm hoping it's just an extended bout of jet lag and I'll be back on track soon.

One of my favorite parts about visiting the west coast is waking up early. Because California is three hours behind DC, I easily wake up at or before 6 AM, which is nearly impossible for me otherwise. Since I usually telework when I'm there, I start working at 6:30 or 7 AM and finish work by 3:45 or 4 PM.

Waking up early is... whatever. For me sleeping longer is always ideal. BUT finishing work by 4 PM? That is the dream.

I've been trying to keep up with my early-rising habits now that I'm in DC, but what can I say? I'm a work in progress. If you are a night owl trying to become an early bird like me, these have worked for me and might work for you:

1. Get an insane alarm clock - I bought this Clocky Alarm Clock on Wheels a few years ago and it is the only way you will wake me up. It sounds like fire and police sirens are going off and an alien landed his ship in your room. I can't tell you how many times I thought someone was breaking into my room because of this alarm. It may not be the most relaxing way to wake up, but you will be awake, I promise.
2. Solve some puzzles immediately - When I don't want to feel my heart jumping out of my chest, I use the I Can't Wake Up app. The alarm won't stop ringing until you solve the assigned puzzles. You can choose what kinds of puzzle you want to do: memory game, math problems, re-write random letters, etc. You can also choose to scan the barcode of an item (maybe a gallon of milk in the fridge), but I never do this because what if you ran out of milk!? This app is great because I can't mindlessly hit snooze over and over again. I will say though that I have gotten so good at doing the puzzles that I can do them while half awake and then I just go back to sleep again.
3. Let your needy dog sleep in your bed - There's no snooze button on your dog, unfortunately. The minute my alarm goes off, my dog Lorraine knows that breakfast is just around the corner and I need to get out of bed so she can eat it. She licks my face nonstop and lies on top of me until the only way I will breathe again is if I get out of bed. I let her sleep in the bed when I absolutely have to wake up early, but I never sleep well with her in it. I imagine this strategy works the same if you have children.

Where's breakfast?

So there you have it! How do you trick yourself into waking up early?