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Comparing transactions in your books to those on the bank statement, and explaining every difference. Timing differences are legitimate; anything else is an error, a duplicate or something nobody recorded.
It is the most reliable check you have that the books reflect reality, because the bank statement is external evidence you did not produce.
Reconciled weekly, differences are recent, memorable and quick to resolve. Reconciled annually, each unexplained item is an archaeology exercise about a payment nobody remembers.
The total time is not comparable. Weekly reconciliation across a year costs a fraction of one annual attempt at the same volume.
Weekly if you can. Frequency reduces total effort rather than increasing it.
Investigate rather than write off. Unexplained differences are usually duplicates or misposted transactions.
Useful, but review what it matched. Over-eager rules pair the wrong transactions silently.
Half an hour with your own data usually saves reading three of these. The guides will still be here afterwards.