Simplicity vs. Minimalism

What’s the difference? Is there a difference?

After planning moves back and forth between Canada and Dubai, I realized that the best way for me to live my life and not be a heavy consumer was to turn to minimalism. So I started getting rid of clothes I wasn’t wearing often, or knew I wouldn’t wear, I stopped buying unnecessary items and tried to organize my life a little more.

My method of organizing my life consists of writing everything I have, and then choosing things that I definitely need and use versus the things I can easily throw away or donate. For example, I had lots of toiletries and skincare items that I was not using, and so I re-purposed them and made sure that they would finish. This way I’ve gotten rid of an extra product that was taking up space and that I didn't need without wasting it. Similarly with my clothes, I made piles of clothes consisting of the following categories: clothes I’ve worn and will wear, clothes I’m not sure about, clothes I’ve worn out/will definitely not wear. The pile of clothes I wasn’t sure about, I kept around until I understood what I needed to do with them (it was either donate or tailor to my fit). This is what I call minimalism. You minimize what you own until you’ve only got what is necessary for you.

Simplicity I learned when I was going through my skincare rountine. Due to the weather change from my move to Dubai, I created a complicated and product-heavy skin care routine with the goal to fix my skin, but realized that while it was somewhat effective, it would be easier and better to keep it simple. With this, I brought it down to 4 items I would use day and night from the same brand. It saves me money, counter space, and time.

I noticed that the simplicity of my skincare routine not only made my life easier, but also helped me mentally create an easy schedule. I’ve now converted my wardrobe to be simple and minimal by having a few staple colors and basic items which are easy to pair. This way I can reduce the number of items I have, and make it easier for myself when it comes to dressing.

While a simple-minimal lifestyle is not for all, I would definitely recommend it for those trying to reduce their consumption and move around a lot. This will make it easy for you to go from place to place without worrying about having too much luggage, and it will put your mind at ease and allow you to focus on other things that may be more important.