The accounting cycle is a series of steps repeated every reporting period to record business transactions and close the books. It involves recording transactions in daybooks, posting to ledgers, extracting a trial balance, and drawing up financial statements. Transactions are first recorded in daybooks like sales, purchases, cash according to their nature. These are then posted to ledgers including the sales, purchases, and general ledgers. A trial balance is then extracted from ledger balances to check the double entry system. Finally, closing entries are made to transfer income and expense accounts to the profit and loss statement.