Recurring Unavailability

The Recurring Patterns feature on the Serving Availability page lets you block a repeating pattern of dates with one click instead of marking each date individually. This is useful when you have a standing conflict that repeats every week, every other week, or on a specific Sunday of the month.

Recurring patterns work alongside one-off unavailable dates -- you can use both at the same time.

When to Use Recurring Patterns

Use a recurring pattern when:

• You have a standing conflict that will repeat for the foreseeable future (such as a recurring work shift or a bi-weekly co-parenting weekend).
• You want coordinators to automatically skip you on those dates without you having to remember to update your availability each month.

Use a one-off unavailable date instead when:

• You only need to block a single date or short range (such as a vacation).
• The conflict is temporary and not part of a repeating schedule.

Available Patterns

Adding a Recurring Pattern

1. In the portal sidebar, open My Schedule, then select the Serving tab.
2. Click the Availability button in the top-right to open the Serving Availability page.
3. Scroll to the Recurring Patterns panel.
4. Click + Add Pattern.
5. In the modal, choose a pattern from the Pattern dropdown.
6. Optionally add a short reason (for example, "Work schedule" or "Co-parenting weekend"). The reason is shown next to the pattern so coordinators have context.
7. Click Add Pattern.

The pattern is now active and will be respected immediately by the scheduling tools.

How Recurring Patterns Interact with Regular Unavailability

Both recurring patterns and one-off unavailable dates feed into the same availability check:

• A date is considered unavailable if it is blocked by either an explicit unavailable-date entry or a matching recurring pattern.
• You do not need to mirror your recurring pattern as individual dates -- the pattern alone is enough.
• Adding a one-off unavailable date that already falls inside a recurring pattern is harmless; it just adds an explicit row alongside the rule.
• Removing a one-off unavailable date does not remove the recurring pattern. If you want to free up a single date that the pattern is blocking, you currently need to remove the entire pattern (and optionally re-add it) -- there is no per-date override.

Removing a Recurring Pattern

If your standing conflict ends or your schedule changes:

1. Go to the Recurring Patterns panel on the Serving Availability page.
2. Find the pattern you want to remove.
3. Click the X (remove) button on the right side of that pattern.
4. Confirm the prompt.

Once removed, the pattern stops applying immediately. Future dates that were blocked only by that pattern become available again. One-off unavailable dates you added separately are unaffected.

Scope

• A recurring pattern applies to all serving teams you belong to, just like one-off unavailable dates.
• The pattern is tied to your membership in a serving team. If you are removed from all serving teams, the pattern stops having any effect (no teams to apply to).
• Coordinators see your recurring patterns when planning the schedule, so they will not assign you to a date that matches an active pattern.

Best Practices

• Set patterns once, early. As soon as you know about a standing conflict, add the pattern -- it saves you from blocking individual dates each month.
• Add a reason. A short reason helps coordinators understand the conflict at a glance.
• Review patterns periodically. When your life schedule changes (new job, new season of life), revisit your patterns to make sure they still apply.
• Combine with one-off dates. Recurring patterns cover the predictable conflicts; use individual unavailable dates for vacations and one-time events.