Organizing Family Appointments: Complete Guide to Buckets, Organizations, and Locations

Whether you're managing appointments for young children, aging parents, or your entire extended family, staying organized is essential. This guide walks you through setting up and using Appointment Adder's family organization features.

What You'll Learn

Creating and managing appointment buckets for each family member
Saving organizations for quick access when scheduling
Setting up departure locations for accurate travel times
Understanding and using conflict detection

Part 1: Appointment Buckets

Buckets are containers that group appointments together. Think of them like folders for your family members' medical visits.

Creating Your First Bucket

Open the main menu and select Buckets
Tap Create Bucket
Enter a name for the bucket (e.g., "Kids," "Mom's Appointments," or "Personal")
Choose a color from the 8 available options
Select an icon that represents this bucket:
- Person - General use
- Baby - Young children
- Heart - Cardiac or wellness focus
- Stethoscope - Primary care focus
- Home - Home health visits
- Briefcase - Work-related health (occupational health, EAP)
- Star - Priority or VIP appointments
Tap Save

Best Practices for Bucket Organization

For families with children:

Create one bucket per child by name ("Emma's Appointments," "Jake's Appointments")
Or create an "All Kids" bucket if you prefer to see them together

For sandwich generation caregivers:

Create separate buckets for each parent you help manage
Keep your own appointments in the default "My Appointments" bucket
Consider a "Spouse" bucket if you coordinate together

For single users:

Use buckets to separate appointment types ("Routine Checkups," "Specialists," "Therapy")
Or keep everything in the default bucket

Using Buckets When Creating Appointments

When you have two or more buckets:

The bucket selector appears automatically in the appointment form
Select which bucket this appointment belongs to
The appointment will be tagged with the bucket's color and icon

Editing and Deleting Buckets

Go to Buckets from the main menu
Tap the bucket you want to modify
Change the name, color, or icon as needed
To delete, tap Delete Bucket (appointments in the bucket will remain but become unassigned)

Part 2: Saved Organizations

Save the healthcare providers you visit regularly to speed up appointment creation.

Saving an Organization from the Appointment Form

When creating an appointment, enter the organization's details
After filling in the name and any other information, tap Save Organization
The organization is now available for future appointments

Managing Organizations from the Organizations Page

Open the main menu and select Organizations
To add a new organization, tap Add Organization
Fill in the available fields:
- Name (required): The provider or facility name
- Category: Primary Care, Specialist, Hospital, Lab, Pharmacy, Dental, Vision, Mental Health, Urgent Care, or Other
- Address: Street address for travel time calculations
- Phone: Contact number for the organization
- Website: URL for patient portal or general information
- Notes: Parking instructions, suite numbers, or other reminders

Using Saved Organizations

When creating a new appointment:

Start typing the organization name
Your saved organizations appear as suggestions
Select one to auto-fill the details

Organization Tips

Add the address even if you know where it is. The app uses addresses for travel time calculations.
Use the notes field for things like "enter through the back," "bring referral letter," or "free parking on Level 2."
Choose accurate categories to help you filter and find organizations later.

Part 3: Saved Locations

Save your departure points for automatic travel time estimates.

Adding a Location

Open the main menu and select Locations
Tap Add Location
Enter the address
Select a location type:
- Home - Your residence
- Work - Your workplace
- Family - A family member's address (useful if you often pick them up for appointments)
- Other - Any other frequent departure point
Toggle Set as Default if this is where you'll usually travel from
Tap Save

How Default Locations Work

When you set a location as default:

Travel time estimates appear automatically when adding appointments with addresses
You don't need to enter "from" information each time
You can always override for specific appointments

Location Tips for Caregivers

If you frequently transport a family member to their appointments:

Save their home address as a "Family" location
When scheduling their appointments, you'll see accurate travel times from their location
Switch your default between your home and theirs depending on who you're scheduling for

Part 4: Conflict Detection

The app automatically checks for scheduling conflicts when you create or edit appointments.

What Triggers a Conflict Warning

You'll see a warning when:

Exact overlap: Two appointments at the same time
Partial overlap: Appointments that start during another appointment
Contained: A shorter appointment fully within a longer one's time block

Understanding the Warning

When a conflict is detected:

You'll see which existing appointment(s) conflict with the new one
The type of overlap is described
You have two choices: adjust the time or acknowledge the conflict

When Conflicts Are Intentional

Sometimes overlaps are expected:

Two family members have appointments at the same time in different locations
You're the patient for one and the caregiver for another
You've already arranged for someone else to cover one appointment

In these cases:

Tap Acknowledge Conflict or Create Anyway
Your acknowledgement is saved with the appointment
You won't see the warning again for this specific conflict

Conflict Detection Tips

Check the details carefully before acknowledging. Conflicts are easy to miss when you're scheduling quickly.
Consider travel time between back-to-back appointments. The conflict detector flags overlaps, but it doesn't account for driving time.
Review your calendar periodically for appointments that are technically non-overlapping but practically impossible to make.

Putting It All Together: A Family Setup Example

Here's how one family might set up their organization system:

The Martinez Family:

Parents: Maria and Carlos
Children: Sofia (12) and Diego (8)
Caregiving: Maria's mother, Rosa

Buckets Created:

"My Appointments" (default) - Maria's personal appointments
"Carlos" - Carlos's appointments
"Sofia" - Sofia's pediatric and orthodontic visits
"Diego" - Diego's appointments
"Abuela Rosa" - Maria's mother's many specialist visits

Saved Organizations:

Valley Pediatrics (Primary Care) - The kids' pediatrician
Smile Orthodontics (Dental) - Sofia's orthodontist
CardioHealth Associates (Specialist) - Rosa's cardiologist
Regional Hospital Lab (Lab) - Bloodwork for multiple family members
CVS Pharmacy (Pharmacy) - Family pharmacy

Saved Locations:

Home (Default) - The Martinez residence
Work - Carlos's office
Abuela's House - Rosa's home address

How This Helps:

Maria can quickly see all of Rosa's appointments in one view
When scheduling follow-ups at Valley Pediatrics, details auto-fill
Travel times from Rosa's house appear automatically for her appointments
If Sofia's orthodontic appointment accidentally overlaps with Diego's checkup, they'll see a warning

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I move an appointment from one bucket to another? Yes. Edit the appointment and change the bucket selection.

What happens to appointments if I delete a bucket? The appointments remain in your calendar but become unassigned. They'll appear in your main view but won't have a bucket tag.

Is there a limit to how many organizations I can save? Free accounts have a limit on saved organizations. Upgrade for unlimited.

Can I share buckets with other family members? Family sharing is coming soon. The foundation is built, and we're working on the invitation and acceptance flow.

Does conflict detection work across different buckets? Yes. Conflicts are detected across all your appointments, regardless of which bucket they're in.