I also never considered speed - it's about having a chain of pieces I can drag over to the ironing board. I normally cut them apart after I've pressed them open. I use my snips and don't need to pick them off the ironing board until after I've cut them apart.
Makes me love my knee lift presser foot. Just use my knee to lift the foot enough to get the next piece under the foot, and away I go. That way I can always keep my hands to easily line things up.