I have real problems with getting up early.

I want to be able to be up and about before 6:00, ideally before 5:00,
but I can barely drag myself out of bed before 9:00 on most days. This
is with four alarm clocks going off at 5:45, mind you.

I know it probably has something to do with the fact that I am an owl,
i.e. a night person, and have trouble getting to sleep before
midnight.

I always admire those who can get up so early (remember that old Amish
guy waking up Harrison Ford before dawn in Witness?). I want to be one
of those people.

Also you’re supposed to be able to get a lot more done at that time of
the day because there are so few distractions.

I bought a firm mattress, because I always woke up with a sore back.
The sore back is gone, but I still can’t get out of bed when I want
to.

How can I get myself to get up early on a daily basis?

Hi! Thanks for the question.

I found the following tips you could follow to help you wake up very
early in the morning.

"Get Out of Bed!"
http://www.iamnext.com/career/onthejob/getoutofbed.html

"COKEMANORG - Guide to Life - Getting up Early the Easy Way"
http://www.cokeman.org/funstuff/guidetolife/school/getupearly.html

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Easterangel-ga       
Google Answers Researcher

Certainly not a bad answer, but I got more out of the comments,
particularly featser's. Hat very much in the off position.

I had this similar problem because I too am sort of a nocturnal
creature but I was able to solve it by self-discipline. Now I can
sleep at 2AM and wake up at 3 or 4 to Google again. Perhaps it would
be helpful if you count up to 10 or 20 as soon as you wake up, stand
up slowly and tell yourself that "I always admire those who can get up
so early and I want to be one of those people." Of course it'll be
hard the first time you do this but soon it will become routine.
Stretching on the bed then jumping a bit when you stand up and walking
out of your room will also help a lot. Pretty soon you'll be "one of
those people" that you admire. ;-)

I hope this helps.
Feilong

The reason why the Amish guy could get up so early is simple

I suffer the exact same problem you do. The only extended period of
time when I could get up early was when my electricity was cut due to
lack of payment. The first day I layed wide eye opened for much of the
night, but the rest of the week was great. I'd go to sleep at about 8
PM and I'd wake up fresh and willing for activity at dawn (6 AM).

In my experience pills are not worth it. For hardwired night owls like
ourselves, the pill will probably knock you down a pair of hours
before your accustomed bedtime, but waking up will be even more
difficult than before.

If your problem is daytime fatigue and the inevitable afternoon nap,
try a multivitamin. Centrum is sort of does the job, but if you really
want a healthy boost, try Twinlabs Liquid Amino Fuel. I've been doing
some weight lifting during the past two months, and I was worried that
I'd be too lazy to excercise when I used to sleep. Now it rests right
next to my bed, I drink a mouthfull (you're supposed to have 3
tablespoons) and the energy lasts for the rest of the day (you're
supposed to use it before or after workout).

Drink coffee ONLY during the morning, as it leaves traces of caffeine,
and even if you don't feel it, it affects your sleep quality. If
preparing coffee is a bitch, buy some caffeine pills at your local
GNC. They're great for waking up, even though I'd recommend Amino Fuel
for a long term solution.

Now, there is an extremely unorthodox method that you may be willing
to try if you are desperate. When I quit smoking I bought patches.
Those things wouldn't let me sleep at all, not a minute. So I'd wake
up, put the patch on, and try to sleep. Impossible. Not healthy, but
effective.

Another unorthodox method: durign my highschool years I had to get up
at 6 AM. I almost repeated a year because of my sleeping habits. So
this is what I did: I didn't sleep an entire night, went to school,
and back home at 3PM I slept till 12PM. I kept myself awake during the
night and repeated the schedule. Pretty soon I grew accustomed to it,
I was lucid during schooltime, teachers where impressed with my sudden
change. Of course you sacrifice afterschool socialization, but you
gain endurance on weekend party nights. If your schedule allows you
this sort of crazyness, give it a try, it saved me a year, but it is
no longer usefull as I have afternoon classes in college and my
classes don't start as early.

I was plagued with this problem in my teens and twenties.  Okay,
thirties too.  Now that I'm in my forties, I know the answer:

If you want to get up early, go to bed early.  

Sorry, but there is no other long-term answer.  I've found that I need
8 hours of sleep a night to be sane.  I can get by with 6 every so
often, but it's not pleasant.  That number will vary for each of us. 
If it helps any, the problem eases as you get older, or at least it
did for me.

It's not a matter of discipline (a euphemism for self-punishment I
think in this case).  It's a matter of your priorities.  Which is more
important? Staying up late or getting up early?  Chose one.  If you're
staying up late to watch TV, get a VCR or Tivo.  If you're staying up
late for sex, well, you're doing the right thing and never mind what I
say.  ;-]