So, in my house, the people that sell us our telephone line also sell us the cell phone package and the cable TV we use.
Nearby, at the corner near the freeway, there is a gas station. It has an automatic car wash. A lot of the time when I buy gas there, I also wash my car.
The first example, the phone company calls it a bundle. The gas station doesn’t call it a bundle, but it kind of is. I used to only go to that gas station when I wanted my car washed. But now, because I have tried it a few times, I will go there just for gas. In fact, honestly, I go there for gas more than I do for the car wash.
Here’s something I’ve noticed about bundling. It’s worth thinking about. What is the nature of the things we consider groups?
For instance, I bundle cream and sugar with my coffee.
When it comes to my cable TV, cell phone and home telephone, I don’t have to bundle it. I could buy it all separately.
At this moment in time, I have bundled waking up with checking my phone. I don’t have to check my phone. I could do something else.
Taking a second look at the way I do things, I can see if there might be another way.
There are a lot of things that didn’t used to be bundled but now are. 20 years ago, no one would have checked their phone when they first work up. But our phones got all tangled in other things.
The smart phone was invented. And it got so smart, the phone part was the least of it.
So with the other habits I’ve developed, maybe I could unbundle some stuff.
It used to be that publishing a book was bundled with finding an agent and getting a publisher. Well, that’s unbundled. You can do it yourself using the platforms developed by other people.
There are so many possibilities now. I’m wondering what things I’ve assumed are one unit that are ready to be unbundled. What barriers have I assumed my whole life, but when I take a closer look, they aren’t even there anymore? There are far more ways to redefine my life if I let myself see it.
I am still considering dropping cable TV.