Different from a book focused basically in the management of time, this work is the result of three years of research for the identification of problems and needs of people in relation to the usage of their time, in the study of the main current proposals aimed at solving this problem and in the development of a modern methodology directed at these identified needs.

The research was conducted between 2002 and 2004, during lectures and by the Internet, hence the universe that comprises people from other countries, besides Brazil. The participants were professionals with an average age of 34.

“It was essential to identify the problems and needs to create a new model. Many existing methodologies presently no longer support the demands from the modern world. A new standard had to be created
employing the virtues available in the existing models, innovating in others and taking in consideration the data collected in the research”, emphasizes Barbosa.

The Triad of Time concept is a division of our time into three spheres: important, urgent and circumstantial. It condemns the simultaneous existence of important and urgent activities, what ends up suggesting a change of a paradigm established decades ago and used by the great time management thinkers. The Triad is a graphic indicator of how your time is used; allowing identifying which sphere has been predominant in your life. In the book, the reader will be able to identify the composition of his/her Triad and the ways to get them closer to the ideal.

As of the analysis of the current methodologies, from the conducted research and from the Triad concept, the author proposes a new methodology, based in five phases: identity – an auto-analysis in regards to what is truly important in your life; goals; planning; organization and execution. Each phase is approached in details in each chapter, showing the concepts and the application techniques both for
the technology and for role playing.

The organization phase, for example, explains how you can organize your day-to-day to gain more time.
A point that stands out from this phase is that it employs some personal knowledge management concepts and applied to productivity: “How many times have you read a magazine article and a short time later when you need to reuse the information, you spend hours looking for it through a stack of magazines. It is proven that people spend a lot of time looking for information that would need to be easily managed and localized. With a method or software that would automatically do this for you, you would gain time and agility”, declares Barbosa.

“The basic premise for developing the book, were: keeping it simple and objective, have the focus on the achievement of personal goals, personal balance and finally, make use of current technology in benefit of people – and not as a weapon turned against them”, says the author.

A relevant data of the research is the tendency of adopting technology as a productivity tool. From the research universe, 96% made use of the computer in their daily routines and from this universe, 70% would like to use the technology as a tool to gain more time.

To monitor this need and innovate some concepts, a software (Triad) was developed that considers all the methodology phases explained in the book and several differentials, allowing the concepts to be applied immediately. The software allows, among other resources, to manage goals and projects, perform your weekly planning, synchronize your knowledge via Internet, access your appointments and tasks through your cell phone, communication with other users, etc. For people who are not familiar to the technology, the author proposes forms similar to the software, which can be printed and attached to regular calendars.

“All that I am proposing is easy to do. It does not make use of, or need special skills. I believe that, the simpler and more obvious it is the more effective it will be. May be, people have already been putting into practice, in an instinctive or conscious fashion, much more than it is being proposed here. The main item that I emphasize in the book is the importance of living your relationships, of balancing yourself and mainly do dream and have the time to do it all! People always complain that time is passing them by too fast because they don’t spend their time on the right things”, emphasizes Barbosa.

Download here a summary of chapter 3 from the book, which explains the Triad of Time theory.