I'm glad it took you just a day :) I still think registration should be much faster if Steem wants to even be compared with other cryptocurrencies.
With Bitcoin (cryptocurrency), "registration" (address creation) is instant and unlimited.
With Facebook (social network), registration is almost instant, takes minutes. Reddit: the same thing.
I'm sure they'll streamline the process in due time. For now, we shall enjoy the exclusivity :-).