Wasting time or learning?

I am currently a first-year analyst at a boutique bank. It is definitely a sweatshop, 9a-2a every day, but I constantly feel like I am wasting time... When I get staffed on a new project or deal I spend 1-2 hours a day for the first 2-3 weeks just reading. I am reading and learning about the industry, the process, and/or any of the other million things. At times, I spend a lot of time just reading stuff...Sometimes I don't remember how to do a certain model/accounting principal/industry metric so I need to refresh and I spend an hour reminding myself how to do xyz...

Is this normal or should I already know this stuff? I just feel like I get paid to read and learn while this website constantly talks about first years cranking 24/7. Is part of that cranking reading or am I doing something wrong? 

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