Choosing Presence Over Productivity

The Movie Night That Changed My Perspective

It was just a simple invitation. “Would your girls like to come to movie night?”

On the surface, it seemed like the most ordinary thing in the world. But when you’re living full-time in an RV with your family, these kinds of spontaneous invitations hit a little different.

The Reality of RV Life with Kids

Don’t get me wrong—traveling full-time in an RV is incredible. There’s a freedom to it that’s hard to describe, the kind of liberation that comes from carrying your home wherever you go. But it’s still real life, just with a unique set of challenges layered on top.

One challenge I naively thought would be easier? Finding other kids for my daughters to play with. Six months into our journey, it’s been a pattern of feast or famine. Some weeks we’re surrounded by families and kids, other weeks it’s just us against the world.

So when that movie night invitation came, you’d think my brain would immediately jump to excitement. Finally! Other kids! A perfect summer evening watching movies under the stars!

When Opportunity Becomes Overwhelm

Those thoughts were there, but they lasted about thirty seconds before being completely hijacked by something else entirely: productivity panic.

Wait a minute, my brain suddenly announced. This is an opportunity to get things DONE.

The mental to-do list started rolling immediately:

- I could finally read that book I’ve been carrying around for months

- I could steam those caftans for the project that’s been waiting

- I could batch-upload more videos to YouTube (speaking of which, have you checked out my channel?)

- I could tackle that email mountain that seems to grow daily

I spent the entire dinner lost in this headspace, mentally organizing my evening of productivity while my daughters chattered excitedly about the movie night ahead.

The Moment Everything Shifted

Then something stopped me mid-mental-planning. I recognized how absolutely crazy this all was.

Here I was, turning a beautiful family moment into another opportunity to check things off my endless list. The very thing I’d been hoping for—connection, community, time with other families—was being overshadowed by my compulsive need to be productive.

A sense of comfort and joy settled around my flurry of “do more, you need to do more” thoughts as I realized what I was doing.

Or, I thought, I could sit and enjoy the movie night right alongside my girls.

That’s what this whole journey is about anyway—savoring the moments alongside our kids.

The Choice We All Face

This isn’t just about RV life or movie nights. It’s about the constant pull between productivity and presence that seems to define modern parenting.

How often do we find ourselves in similar situations? Our kids are happily occupied, and instead of joining them in their joy, we immediately start calculating how to maximize those “free” moments.

The laundry that needs folding, the emails that need responses, the projects that need finishing—they’re always there, creating a background hum of things we “should” be doing.

What Really Matters

Next time you find yourself swamped in that multitasking, maximize-every-second mindset, try taking a step back and asking yourself two simple questions:

What do I really want to do?

What will bring me the greatest joy and happiness—being productive or being present?

The to-dos will still be there tomorrow. They always are. But the moment to savor—your child’s laughter during a movie, the way they lean against you when they’re tired, the magic of a summer evening shared with new friends—that’s happening right now.

Choosing Presence Over Productivity

I chose presence that night. I sat with my girls, watched the movie, and soaked in the simple joy of being together in a new place with new people. The caftans remained unsteamed, the book remained unopened, and the emails remained unread.

And you know what? The world didn’t end. The only thing that happened was that I got to be fully present for a perfect summer evening with my daughters.

Sometimes the most productive thing we can do is absolutely nothing at all.

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Are you caught in the productivity trap? What moments have you almost missed because you were too busy trying to get things done? Share your story in the comments below.