Searching for trades

Manual, watchlists and frequent checking, plus news updates, big movers etc. I also alarm those trendlines, supports/resistances that look promising so I don't have to have too many charts open on my screen.

What methods do people use to search for good trade opportunities?

Obviously there is the manual option of simply loading (for example) every chart in the FTSE350, drawing the basic S&Rs and seeing what there is...

There's also the option of using chart software scans...

In my experience the first is very time consuming, the second often fruitless and not really less time consuming. So, I was wondering if anyone has any little tricks for searching for and monitoring charts with up-coming trade oportunities?

Perhaps we could collectively come up with some method/system to root out all the good chances while sharing the workload? I must admot that this is a particular area of weakness of mine and I want to improve it in the most efficient way possible.

Thanks in advance.