A system and methods of incrementally updating a recording schedule in response to changes in user requests and changes in availability of requested content. Changes to the recording schedule may be prompted by a user request to record new content, a change in the parameters of an existing request, removal of a request, and the like. Before changing the recording schedule, an algorithm generates new possible recording schedules by combining recording assignments for a given program with the existing recording schedule. In one embodiment, the algorithm reduces the new possible recording schedules to a final recording schedule and applies the final recording schedule to a digital recording device. In another embodiment, the final recording schedule is presented to a user for approval before the schedule is applied to the digital recording device.