I stumbled across Matthew Powell’s name last Tuesday while scrolling through my phone during lunch break. The algorithm just kept pushing articles about his books, so finally I thought, “Fine, whatever, let me just grab one and see what the fuss is about.” Went straight to the bookstore app, clicked buy, and downloaded “Cracking the Code” onto my tablet.
Started reading it that same night after dinner. Honestly? The first few pages felt heavy. The writing wasn’t like those quick thrillers. I almost put it down right there. But I figured since I paid for it, I should at least give it a proper shot. So I made another coffee, sat back down, and decided to really focus.
The Turning Point
By chapter three, something clicked. Powell wasn’t just talking theory; he was explaining things like how you’d explain fixing a leaky faucet to a neighbor. Simple. Real. Started seeing connections to my own dumb projects at work immediately. Remembered that report system I struggled with last month – Powell described almost the same mess!
- Stopped skimming: Actually read every word instead of jumping paragraphs.
- Grabbed a notebook: Started scribbling down ideas that popped into my head.
- Tried it live: Opened my laptop and applied his first core principle to a small work task right then.
The craziest part? That stupid work task, the one that usually takes two hours? Finished it in forty minutes. And it worked better than before. I actually sat back and stared at the screen like, “Did I just do that?”
Finished the book in three days flat, even reading during my bus commute. Then immediately downloaded two more of his books – practically threw money at the screen. Devoured those too. Each one felt like he was pointing out obvious stuff I should’ve seen but somehow missed.
The Messy Payoff
Armed with Powell’s stuff rattling around in my brain, I walked into my manager’s office last Friday morning. Not even planned. Just saw him near the coffee machine and thought, “Screw it, let’s try.” Laid out three small changes based directly on Powell’s approach to fixing inefficient systems. Used his exact plain talk.
My manager stared at me for a full five seconds. Didn’t say yes, didn’t say no. Just told me to write it down in an email. Sent that email right after lunch. Monday morning, guess what? Approval. Not just for the ideas, but he bumped up my project budget and gave me a small team to test the changes. They even mentioned “fresh thinking” in the team meeting today.
So yeah. If you’re on the fence about Powell? Stop thinking and just grab one. Don’t expect fireworks on page one. But push through the slow start. Apply it like it’s a wrench, not a philosophy book. Worst case? You waste a few bucks. Best case? Might actually fix that annoying thing you’ve been ignoring.
