Turn on Windows 10 laptop without opening it if external monitor is attached?

I work most of the time with my Windows 10 laptop (Lenovo X1 Carbon, 2012 1. gen model) closed and an external monitor attached.

To achieve this I have to start the computer by

1. opening the lid,
2. press the start button,
3. wait until it booted and
4. the external monitor is active, then
5. close the lid which puts the laptop into sleep after which
6. I can hit a mouse button or key to make it "start" (unsleep) again

Of course this is a bit silly.

On the other hand I also work mobile, with no external monitor. One thing I can not compromise on is that the laptop indeed has to go into sleep when I close the lid (~ 15 years of conditioning).

Is there a better way to turn my laptop on if an external monitor is attached?

^EDIT:

Wake-On-Mouse

1. Change what closing the lid does by setting it to 'Do Nothing':
   • Hit the ⊞ Win key and type lid, or else go:
   • Control Panel → Hardware & Sound → Power Options → System Settings
2. Plug in an external mouse.
3. Go to Device Manager or hit ⊞ Win + X followed by M
4. Double-click the external USB pointing device.
5. On the Power Management tab, ensure that Allow device to wake computer is checked.
6. When you're finished using the built-in screen, cycle through projector options to enable monitor with: ⊞ Win + P
7. Don't use Shut Down when finished with the computer. Instead use one of:
   • Hibernate shortcut: ⊞ Win + X followed by U then H
   • Sleep or use ⊞ Win + X followed by U then S Now you can keep the screen lid closed but turn on and use the laptop with an external monitor. To meet your last 'requirement', you can change the settings to Sleep settings so the laptop goes to sleep after a set amount of idle time:
   • ⊞ Win and then type: sleep + Enter
   • Control Panel → Screen → Power & Sleep Now you don't need to use the power button to turn it on or off.

Some other options:

1. You could have the laptop just stay on all the time (regardless of the lid) by following only Step 1 (above).
2. You could also schedule the laptop to startup (or shutdown) at the same time(s) every day.
3. If you're handy with tools and electronics you could also achieve this by modifying either:
   • the laptop access to the power button, or
   • laptop lid so it's functionality is more like a desktop machine.
4. You could get a docking station or USB Hub, with WOL so either:
   • an external device can wake it with a WOL Signal
   • plugging the laptop into the dock will wake the laptop if a network is present
5. WOL is disabled by default so you'll have to enable it in BIOS.

Since I'm new here I wasn't allow to includes my list of sources and examples, so I will try to post them in a separate comment or answer.

Late answer I know - but I thought I'd give my two cents in case someone in the future comes across it.

I have 3 external monitors running off my Dell XPS 15 laptop, with the lid closed.

1. Obviously, you'd need to "Change what happens when you close the lid" as mentioned by the other answers.

2. Then check in your BIOS for a "Wake on AC" option. Quite simply, the computer will detect and power up when the power cable is plugged in. So in the morning, I just unplug and replug the power cable into my laptop which turns it on.

Just to be clear, you can still power off your pc with the cable plugged in. It's not like it will restart as soon as you switch it off. It will only power on in the event that the power is *plugged in again.