Work = small money. Digital value = BIG money

9:00

The success secret of billionaires like Jeff Bezos (Amazon), Bill Gates, Jerry Wang (Yahoo!), etc. is that they don't just work. They work on their WORK.

Their work happens to be a digital product (Windows, the Amazon website -- which Bezos reviews all the time, even on Sundays, in order to improve it, the Yahoo! portal).

Most people just work. They cannot clearly identify their work product, therefore they cannot work on it. They cannot improve it. Hence, their income does not improve.

Here's the three-step process recommended by the late Peter Drucker, arguably the father of modern management:

1. First, identify the main task you are paid to do
2. Next, monitor how much time you spend on it every day
3. Finally, monitor your performance at doing that MAIN task in order to improve it. Also try to spend more of your time on it, and delegate / outsource the rest.

If you're a sales rep, sell! Go out there, face prospects, and close deals!

If you're a writer, write! Count the number of words you produce every hour or every day.

If you're a student, study!

I've done the three things above quite well in my life, because I was a bit simple-minded: I only did what I was supposed to do. As a student, I ignored all distractions and just studied until I became the Valedictorian of my high school.

As an account manager, I sold all the time. As a writer, I write all the time (I carry a Palm pilot and a portable keyboard, as well as lots of notepads because ideas keep coming to me at the most unexpected times!).

So in summary, I recommend the following:

1. Focus precisely on what you're supposed to do that creates value for the employer or client
2. Convert that value into a digital format so you can easily distribute it worldwide, in order to become rich