Get a very loud but lightweight alarm clock.
Tie it to the cat.
What?
Why not shower first? Then you can do chores right up until leaving time.
Or: Bane, aka “nap”.
Now that’s just crazy talk.
Oh good, someplace to post this.
ThinkGeek has a bunch of great alarm clocks. I just found out about this one that you program to donate money to a cause you hate if you don’t get out of bed.
http://www.thinkgeek.com/stuff/41/snuznluz.shtml
I don’t need it because I go to sleep eight hours before I need to get up, and I never have any trouble getting up. But I can see where it would be verrrry useful.
Oh man! That’s the one I’m getting.
Then it just becomes an element of your dream. I remember dreaming about being in school and the freakin’ bell kept ringing to tell us recess was over and we kept ignoring it, but it kept ringing!
Yeah, I was late for work that day.
I can’t believe you guys are still talking about some idiot who can’t make it to a 10:30 class when we’ve got this delightful bit of insanity.
I find this refreshing, and funny as hell.
Tris pretty much nailed it- you’re not going to bed early enough. I also need a lot of sleep, 10 hours a night would be good, always have been like that and probably always will. I, too, am a stay-up-later. I love the nightlife, I like to boogie (or watch TV and surf the internet- whatever). I also have a job, which means I have to get up early. Boo. So every night I pretty much have to make a choice- go to bed in time to get lots of sleep that I need, or stay up late? Staying up late usually wins. On time for me would be 10, but I usually stay up until gasp! 11 or 11:30- we’re not talking the middle of the night here, but that extra hour or two really make a big difference either way.
I can hit the snooze button repeatedly and try to sneak in more sleep for a few days, but eventually if I don’t start getting more sleep, my body will shut down one morning, and go into a semi-coma, and then I will be really late. Sounds like that’s what happened to you this morning.
The alarm clock that donates money to the GOP if not dealt with might not solve your problem because you do actually turn off your present alarm just fine, then forget you did it.
I agree with dbuzman. Screaming Meanie is versatile and has a number of tricks to get you up. Yes it will really scream, but also has medium and soft settings, the soft quite pleasant. It rings in five-minute intervals twice before the time you actually set, waking you up gradually. It works for me.
Uhm, actually, I think that clock was a past April Fool’s joke. Like the WiiHelm thing they had before too. Notice it says availability is “Presumably” and buying it gets you Bankrupt geek points.
Though they do have lots of other cool clocks too. Get the one that shakes your bed and makes noise louder than a jackhammer. 
Aw, man. I thought it was real.
Instead of setting the alarm , that blaring sound that says you have twenty minutes to get to minimum safe distance, set it to a radio station if its a dual purpose and keep the volume just above minimum.
The way its supposed to work is that the radio will cut in and music will seep into your rem state and slowly you surface to awakening.And when you first awake , the volume on the radio will probably seem louder than it actually is. takes me at most three minutes from the time the radio comes on, and trying to go back to sleep is almost impossible.
Declan
If had something worthwhile leaving for then you probably would. 
The thing that always worked best for me was when I used to sleep over at my ex’s place where there was no alarm clock in existence. Somehow I always managed to wake up on time and get home and get ready for work and not be late. I think it was the fear of oversleeping due to there being no alarm clock that would wake me up.
I keep thinking I should try that again (not the sleeping with the ex part, but the sleeping without an alarm clock part) and see if it works any better.
Right now I have an alarm clock with two alarms (one’s the radio, the other will either beep or go cockadoodledoo), AND I usually set my cell phone next to my bed for a third alarm. AND my husband always turns on all the lights and lets the cats in when he leaves in the morning which eventually wakes me up (he’s a morning person, the bastard.)
Not to mention the M crossed out on the top left where it says “stuff for smart masses”, the Really Fine Print about their 50 percent commission, and the page you get when you click Add to Cart. 
If you’re waking up 2 hours early, maybe you should go to bed later.
In general, give yourself a decent time to sleep (e.g. 8 hours).
Don’t get drunk the night before a lecture either. :eek:
I am having the exact same problem that you do. And I’m having it for the first time in my life at the age of 64.
For all of the years that I taught school, I had to be on time or there would be a riot in the hallway outside my door. So I was there every morning at 6:45 am. A lot of the time it was still dark! I could count on one hand the number of times I was late in twenty years.
Suddenly, I can’t get anywhere on time even in the middle of the day. I get up three hours early, have a cup of coffee, take a provigil, and then take a nap. By the time I wake up and get going, I’m going to be late. This is usually after a full night’s sleep. (I do have to take lots of pills.)
Those provigils are given to fighter pilots to keep them awake. You would think that I would be a live wire.
I do have depression, by the way. And I never recognize the symptoms when it comes 'round again – except that it messes with my sleeping habits.
Try showering and planning what to wear the night before. If you tend to be a girl, do your make up first thing.
What you need is a George Jetson alarm clock.
George Jetson…time to get up…