Linear time is to project management as cyclical time is to what?

Linear time lets project managers set deadlines, measure progress, and finish tasks in a straight line, so they can see a clear beginning and end. Cyclical time, by contrast, repeats the same patterns—like seasons, festivals, or daily rituals—so its focus is on continuity and renewal rather than a single finish. In philosophy, cyclical time is therefore most closely linked to cultural or religious rituals that honor recurring cycles. For example, a harvest festival repeats each year, celebrating the same cycle of planting, growing, and reaping, showing how cyclical time governs those traditions. Thus, cyclical time is to rituals what linear time is to project management.