Can you do it? Can you get over that pumpkin-pie hangover and get moving?

That's right. We're talking Black Friday, the day of insanity that kicks off the holiday shopping season. And that means it's time to get serious about gifts.

You can conquer that shopping list in one day -- or at least by the end of the weekend. You just need to bring your A game. The key, of course, is to focus. Plow through your list. Don't dawdle. Just get it done.

Even if you're not planning to elbow a kid out of the way for the last $99 digital camera, you can get some serious shopping done on Black Friday. Here's how to make the most of your time.

MAKE A PLAN

The fragrance department at Macy's is not the place to start brainstorming for gift ideas -- and if you do it on Black Friday, you might get trampled. So sit down. Have another cup of coffee. And think. Devote half an hour to making a good, solid list of gifts to buy. Brainstorm for ideas online and with newspaper ads. Then come up with a plan of action: Think through which stores you'll visit and when, and what you'll buy when you arrive.

DO YOUR RESEARCH

While you're making your list, do some comparison shopping. Check the ads and know your prices. If you see two mp3 players in the ads, don't just head for the store and eyeball the descriptions on each box. Instead, read reviews online before you get there. (A good site for product reviews is www.consumersearch.com.) A quick scan can tell you whether you're about to make a mistake.

RESERVE ONLINE

Got your list? Good. But don't leave the house yet. Lots of major retailers (Best Buy, the Container Store, Borders) will let you purchase an item online and pick it up at the store. And some (Borders and Barnes & Noble are two) will let you reserve an item online. It'll be on hold at the checkout counter, and you pay for it when you pick it up. You'll save tons of time avoiding all that aisle-wandering.

BE PREPARED

Wear comfortable shoes. Take all the junk out of your purse or pockets so you can travel light. You will, of course, need to pack a few key items:

• Your list (and a pen)

• Aspirin for the inevitable shopping headache

• A bottle of water (good shoppers know how to hydrate)

• Snacks for when you crash in the afternoon (a piece of fruit and some almonds will make you feel far better than a food-court hot dog)

• A big envelope so you can keep track of receipts

• The ads and coupons you need

JUST PARK

You will waste serious time driving in circles, waiting for a good space to open up. Take the first space you find, even if it's barely in the same ZIP code.

START EASY

There are some gifts you can buy quickly: the fancy coffee you always buy for Dad, the bottle of whiskey your uncle likes. Do those first. If you've reserved gifts online, pick those up next. Accomplishing a lot quickly will energize you for the harder shopping.

DIVIDE AND CONQUER

Put family members to work if possible. Send your spouse to one store, your teenage daughter to another. Make sure everyone has money and knows exactly what to pick up. Keep phones handy for consulting. Meet back an hour later and compare notes.

Don't trust them to be in charge of the shopping? Use them to save time at checkout. If the line is long, send a family member to stand in it while you gather up the goods.

DON'T AGONIZE

Make a rule for yourself: Spend no more than, say, three minutes debating a purchase. If you're undecided, use our formula. Consider: (the chance you'll never be able to find this color/size/style/price again) + (the store's return policy) - (the likelihood that you'll lose the receipt). Then factor in: (how much you will hate returning to this store's parking lot) x (the chance that you can find it online) / (the probable cost of shipping). If you are still in doubt, write down the product information and the price, then get a move on. Don't let one decision expand to fill an afternoon.

BREATHE

At some point -- probably before lunch -- you will decide you hate lines, despise every other shopper in the country and never want to buy another gift as long as you live. This is the time to work on your inner peace. Breathe deeply and relax. Consider repeating a mantra: ``I am filled with peace and good will, and buying gifts for my loved ones makes me happy.''

REGROUP AT HOME

You may have endurance. You may be strong. But, eventually, you'll have to go home. When you get there, relax for an hour. Take off your shoes. Eat something. Then, it's back to work. Make a list of what you haven't found. Then hop online and order what you're still missing.

Get free shipping if you can. And -- this is important -- make a list of which gifts should be arriving and when. After all, Cyber Monday -- the online equivalent to Black Friday -- is just around the corner. But by then, you'll be finished with your shopping and ready to enjoy the rest of the season.