So this is a great question…. my simple answer is that it works for me, and how my brain conceptualizes time, and it works for many of us instinctively. Also, it is a very intuitive way to help adults and young kids make sense of time and patterns over the month and year, even before they can grasp or relate to a square/grid calendar.
The TLDR version: object permanence, relieves working memory load, works with the -right now- somatic awareness before it’s forgotten, intuitive, accommodations look unique…some times talking it out or working with others, or using a structure (circular calendar) can be the accommodate tomato it easier to get to, even fun!
The longer reflection:
Why is the circular/round calendar structure –and the hands on learning process we work thorghin the workshop helpful? Well, partly this has to do with the fact that it relates the “Right Now” moment to a physical spot on the circle — like a board game…and this helps us orient to time the way we orient to space. Some theories suggest that our brains are developed to orient to space and that neuronic devices that maps to physical things are exceptionally helpful because humans had (and still have to) to orient to space to be able to navigate the world using points of reference before we could create maps to carry around. We still refer to land marks when offering directions, or when sailing , the reference points are the stars….
Some people may actually find that it is more relaxing to use a visual representation of time to plan because it takes a load off our working memory. Also it doesn’t rely on waiting till later. You can. but you no longer have to wait to remember that later.
Wait how can I know what I’ll want to do this time next year!….or next month? ok: so we’re going to work with massive imperfect action here, and consider these things we discover as suggestons/hypotheses…and if they end up working, we keep them, if not, we revise. And we all have some kind of rhythm…So the same way we know we’re likely to eat breakfast, lunch and dinner around similar times of day, or (for those who will challenge me on that, I see you ;), let’s go with the way you know the sun will rise and set…)… We actually also do have weekly/bi weekly/ monthly/ seasonal/ quarterly and annual rhythms. So there is a rhythm we can actually use to predict some of the things that will come back around in the coming year. This can also be looked at weekly/monthly as well.
And this is where this tool and the somatic and relational elements workshop may be of particular use to folks who are neurodiverse— particularly those with ADHD and other neurotypes that affect working memory and executive functions (the processes that help with planning and prioritizing…).
For many of us the “Right now” experience is the most relevant, and what me miss, or enjoy about this moment/time of year is sometime we will likely forget before this same set of conditions come back around again next year.
So if we’re doing planning for the summer in the winter… we will remember some things, but we just aren’t in the “now” of it enough–however what we experience right now, is actually the perfect information to borrow for *next year* (or next month depending on how far out you’re looking at). Actually for parents that are working on a co parenting schedule that has a 2 week rhythm, using that as the smallest unit to work with is also great… so for example I had a schedule that at one point left me with one Sunday bi weekly with no commitments and no child in my care. That was a magical discovery.
A circular calendar offers a memory tool to quickly see a full year at a glance visually. It reduces the strain on working memory to think about all the details in relation to echoer, and for some of us, can help us realize how close, or far off something is. A little bit like learning math facts or a multiplication table, the circular calendar model provides a visual aid to support a mental model of time. In fact in my experience the best way to engage with this concept is to physically create a circular calendar for a month out of materials like: play dough, or rocks on a circular tray, or magnets on a metal pizza baking sheet. Some education traditions like Waldorf use a “birthday ring” or rings to help mark the passing of time or a special event. So at the point on the calendar that a special event is happening, a physical maker is created.
One thing I’d like to point out is that it isn’t actually about the shape of the calendar… some people use a perpetual ongoing calendar with no breaks with a similar effect for them. But what I have found to be the secret sauce, is the relational part of it…talking about it and having. shared communication took for reference. Honestly, I discovered this by talking with my 3.5 year old about when said child’s next birthday would be coming around (at that point over 8 months away !) Regularly having to relate to the birthdays around the calendar began to help me connect with th other rhythms and events that were coming up and I began to map time differently because I was regularly talking about it. At that point the calendar lived on the wall by our kitchen table, so we talked about it regularly.
Basically I accidentally stumbled on a unique accommodation: relational engagement, multiple times a week, with my inquisitive youngest kid.
This is what we want to keep an eye out for, ways that work for you and your unique way of experiencing the world. It is also why a somatic planning approach combined with a circular / round/ seasonal calendar approach can be so helpful: the goal is to make planning easy, intuitive and reduce the effort of holding on to things, as well as the effort it takes to engage with time and future planning.
This is why the full workshop series runs in 2 ways:
a) 2 weekend half days (4h each) with 4-6 weeks of weekly zoom office hours (body doubling/co working) sessions that are hosted live, weekly for 6 weeks between the two weekends.
b) 4 weekday 1.5h hour sessions with weekly zoom office hours (body doubling/co working) sessions that are hosted live, weekly for 6 weeks.
If you made it this far, let me know what clues let you know I didn’t use AI to write this (….feel welcome to message me and let me know…and also let me know if you’d like to join the wait list or an upcoming work shop ;)).
Thanks for reading, fellow human. Hope to meet you soon!