Reduce time it takes for device to power on when pressing power button? I recently got my Nexus 7, and I love it.

There is only one thing that is bugging me: The amount of time you have to hold the power button to turn the device on.

Most of time I have to hold it for around 30 seconds - this is not ideal at all, as number 1, my finger starts hurting as I am pushing it in and 2 my finger easily slips meaning I have to start again!

SO, my question is this:

Is there any way, without flashing a custom ROM, to reduce the amount of time I have to hold the power button to power the device on? Flashing a custom kernel is ok.
Short answer: No.

Long answer: 

This is something set at a really low level and I have never heard of this as being something that can be modified.

It's definitely nothing that can be resolved in a custom rom, maybe a different bootloader, but I have a feeling it's at a lower level than that.