It's difficult to say for me which one is "easier" or "faster" - easiest and fastest is always what you know ;) For me that was continental style, of course. And it's right that knitting this way is easier if you know how to crochet. Just like you hold the project with the left hand and work the yarn and needle with the right, you do in knitting: holding the project (on the needle) in the left and and work the yarn with the right hand needle. If you know how to crochet, try binding off your knitting with a crochet hook like in this video. OK, she's holding the crochet hook a bit strange - hold it like you would a knitting needle. But that way you use two needles with the yarn in your left hand - voilà. Continental knitting ;)

But I have to admit that changing your knitting style is hard work, you should start it as early as possible so you don't have to "unlearn" things. Muscle memory works against us sometimes. I tried learning knitting the Norwegian way (the difference is in how you hold your left index finger) and got so confused, I stopped that rather quickly.