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Do What Matters: Live From Rest, Not Rush, Using The REALIFE Process
Banish busyness and discover a new way of being productive around what truly matters!
Do What Matters is the authentic story of a recovering workaholic and her journey, through the loss of her son to drug addiction, to a new way of truly living. Encouraging you to question the desire to rush through life, she inspires you to discover a deeper, more meaningful source of productive energy and intentional life plan so you can live from an internal place of rest.
Do What Matters will help you:
•Discover your REALSELF through signature tools such as Needs & Values and the Enneagram.
•Develop a Modern Day Rule of Life through unique and simple behaviors, rhythms, and routines.
•Identify the Areas of Focus that matter to you in your life and business.
•Learn the power of 90-day Processes of Project and Time Management.
•Set up your calendar using unique REALIFE Time Blocks to create a framework for your calendar so that each day matters.
•Incorporate rhythms of Rest, Renew, and Review so you can recover a sustainable pace of living.
Discover the power of living from rest, not rush, as you identify what uniquely matters to you. This book will empower you to let go of the chaos and choose to do life differently!
Do What Matters is the authentic story of a recovering workaholic and her journey, through the loss of her son to drug addiction, to a new way of truly living. Encouraging you to question the desire to rush through life, she inspires you to discover a deeper, more meaningful source of productive energy and intentional life plan so you can live from an internal place of rest.
Do What Matters will help you:
•Discover your REALSELF through signature tools such as Needs & Values and the Enneagram.
•Develop a Modern Day Rule of Life through unique and simple behaviors, rhythms, and routines.
•Identify the Areas of Focus that matter to you in your life and business.
•Learn the power of 90-day Processes of Project and Time Management.
•Set up your calendar using unique REALIFE Time Blocks to create a framework for your calendar so that each day matters.
•Incorporate rhythms of Rest, Renew, and Review so you can recover a sustainable pace of living.
Discover the power of living from rest, not rush, as you identify what uniquely matters to you. This book will empower you to let go of the chaos and choose to do life differently!
200 pages, Paperback
Published November 1, 2022
About the author
Teresa McCloy
1 bookAs a recovering workaholic who was addicted to all the latest apps, software, and best-selling books on productivity, Teresa is passionate about helping others assess their habits and execute a process to take their everyday, ordinary life to something extraordinary through REALIFE™ Being, Action, Time, and Living.
Teresa is the creator of the REALIFE Process®, a faith-focused company that helps entrepreneurs, coaches, and consultants develop and diversify their business through certification, content, coaching, and community to grow their impact and increase their income.
She is an ACC Certified Leadership & Life Coach through the International Coaching Federation, a Certified Spiritual Director, Podcaster, and Keynote Speaker.
Teresa is the creator of the REALIFE Process®, a faith-focused company that helps entrepreneurs, coaches, and consultants develop and diversify their business through certification, content, coaching, and community to grow their impact and increase their income.
She is an ACC Certified Leadership & Life Coach through the International Coaching Federation, a Certified Spiritual Director, Podcaster, and Keynote Speaker.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
November 1, 2022
Wow! I am pushing 50 and have been on the quest of "Getting my Life Organized" for many years, just never felt like I had that great of a handle on all the areas that mattered to me. Teresa actually makes something as complicated as LIFE quite simple, manageable and most importantly SUSTAINABLE. This is it!! When I got to the end of the book, I was in tears of joy and the song, " I've got the Golden Ticket" from Willy Wonka was playing in my head! A golden ticket packaged neatly into an easy to understand and use process! I feel like I have finally figured my life out!! I truly know that after reading this book and following this process (and keeping at it) I WILL, without a doubt, be DOING WHAT MATTERS in my life!! What a gift. Can't recommend enough!!
October 31, 2022
I love how the REALIFE Process helps you do what matters not only in your work life, but in your personal life too. In this book, you start with self-discovery and knowing who you are before moving to what you do. As someone who usually tries to change my entire life at once, it was refreshing to learn about choosing a few projects at a time in order to make progress. If you have tried goal setting or every productivity hack you can find, yet still feel like you're running in circles, this book will help you actually move forward in what uniquely matters to YOU!
August 11, 2026
Do What Matters: Live From Rest, Not Rush, Using The REALIFE Process offers a thoughtful alternative to the constant culture of busyness and productivity. Teresa McCloy draws from her own deeply personal journey, including the experience of losing her son to drug addiction, to explore what it means to stop rushing through life and discover a more sustainable way of living. Rather than simply encouraging readers to become more efficient, the book asks a deeper question about what deserves our time, energy, and attention in the first place.
The REALIFE Process gives the message a practical foundation. Tools involving needs and values, the Enneagram, areas of focus, 90-day planning, time blocks, and intentional rhythms provide readers with concrete ways to translate the philosophy into everyday habits. The emphasis on rest, renewal, and review is especially refreshing because it challenges the assumption that constant activity is the same thing as meaningful productivity. The framework encourages readers to build a pace of life that is both intentional and sustainable.
Overall, Do What Matters is an encouraging resource for anyone who feels overwhelmed by busyness or has become caught in the habit of rushing from one responsibility to the next. Its combination of personal story, practical tools, and reflection on what truly matters gives the book emotional depth as well as actionable value. Readers interested in intentional living, sustainable productivity, time management, and creating a more meaningful rhythm of life may find this approach particularly valuable.
The REALIFE Process gives the message a practical foundation. Tools involving needs and values, the Enneagram, areas of focus, 90-day planning, time blocks, and intentional rhythms provide readers with concrete ways to translate the philosophy into everyday habits. The emphasis on rest, renewal, and review is especially refreshing because it challenges the assumption that constant activity is the same thing as meaningful productivity. The framework encourages readers to build a pace of life that is both intentional and sustainable.
Overall, Do What Matters is an encouraging resource for anyone who feels overwhelmed by busyness or has become caught in the habit of rushing from one responsibility to the next. Its combination of personal story, practical tools, and reflection on what truly matters gives the book emotional depth as well as actionable value. Readers interested in intentional living, sustainable productivity, time management, and creating a more meaningful rhythm of life may find this approach particularly valuable.
July 17, 2026
I heard Teresa McCloy’s keynote, and then decided to pick up her book. Her message that resonated with me: live from a place of rest, not rush. In Do What Matters, she brings that same clarity and calm presence to the page. One particular analogy that she used stays with me. It’s that of a shaken jar of river water. The shaken jar represents a life lived in constant motion—muddy, unclear, and unsettled. When we pause and let the jar sit still, the water clears, just as our thoughts and priorities do when we slow down and create space to reflect.
This book isn’t just about productivity—it’s about mindset. It invites you to be, not just do. One of the most impactful parts of her REALIFE framework is the idea of crafting a “modern-day rule of life.” Theresa’s own rule clearly centers on building community. You can feel it in her writing—I truly felt like part of her community while reading.
There’s beautiful references to the Velveteen Rabbit throughout that are both heartfelt—given the author’s personal connection to it—and quietly profound. I won’t spoil it, but it’s worth reading the book for that alone.
If you’re looking for a practical guide that helps you slow down, reflect, and realign your life with what matters most, this is it.
This book isn’t just about productivity—it’s about mindset. It invites you to be, not just do. One of the most impactful parts of her REALIFE framework is the idea of crafting a “modern-day rule of life.” Theresa’s own rule clearly centers on building community. You can feel it in her writing—I truly felt like part of her community while reading.
There’s beautiful references to the Velveteen Rabbit throughout that are both heartfelt—given the author’s personal connection to it—and quietly profound. I won’t spoil it, but it’s worth reading the book for that alone.
If you’re looking for a practical guide that helps you slow down, reflect, and realign your life with what matters most, this is it.
October 31, 2022
Create a Modern-Day Rule of Life That Works for You
This book contributes to the newer trend of time management type books that focus less on getting it all done efficiently and more on creating a balanced life that works for the person according to their values and principles.
The book offers accessible tools to guide the reader on the journey to creating a personal plan/project based on their individual characteristics, gifts, needs, etc.
The writer uses some religious/"God"-language that could be unhelpful for a non-believer, although the techniques shared are applicable to anyone. A free downloadable workbook is available to help guide the process.
I found it easy to read, with thoughtful/thought-provoking exercises and good encouragement.
This book contributes to the newer trend of time management type books that focus less on getting it all done efficiently and more on creating a balanced life that works for the person according to their values and principles.
The book offers accessible tools to guide the reader on the journey to creating a personal plan/project based on their individual characteristics, gifts, needs, etc.
The writer uses some religious/"God"-language that could be unhelpful for a non-believer, although the techniques shared are applicable to anyone. A free downloadable workbook is available to help guide the process.
I found it easy to read, with thoughtful/thought-provoking exercises and good encouragement.
October 13, 2022
I am almost 50% through with the book. I skipped the whole enneagram section. The author’s personal story within the book is a nice touch. I do find it ironic that the author quotes a coach telling her how she doesn’t need to work someone else’s system, but this whole book is teaching others someone else’s system.
The title is worth a read for the author’s personal story and insights about learning how to “be” instead of constantly “doing”
The title is worth a read for the author’s personal story and insights about learning how to “be” instead of constantly “doing”
November 8, 2022
Teresa's life story and the journey were so relatable, especially how she turned to work and "doing" through a family crisis. What was inspiring is that she not only experienced a transformational change, but she made it her life work to share the process that helped her move away from this state of overwork and rush. This book is a great introduction to the work her team is now offering and that so many of us need!
September 12, 2022
Transformational!
I recommend this book for EVERYONE! Especially anyone who feels aimless and anxious. It helped me discover who I truly am at my core, and find value and purpose in what I do. Aligning my BEING with my DOING has been transformational for me. This book shows us how to live each moment with intentionality.
I recommend this book for EVERYONE! Especially anyone who feels aimless and anxious. It helped me discover who I truly am at my core, and find value and purpose in what I do. Aligning my BEING with my DOING has been transformational for me. This book shows us how to live each moment with intentionality.
November 26, 2022
As a trained and certified Coach, there is nothing new here. Though we also know that there is nothing new under the sun. HOWEVER, I find Teresa's arrangement and application of the tools and principles (her own process) refreshing and inspiring. Really enjoyed reading, as you get to know her and her own journey, and plan to work her plan for my own benefit in the days and weeks ahead :)
July 16, 2026
Great read from my friend and coach, Teresa! Learning to live a life that truly matters and writing my own rule of life was a gift. Continuing to live into the process and coach others to do the same!
June 7, 2024
Great Read!
Thank you Teresa giving us a window into your life and letting us see what REAL looks like! I have hope!
Thank you Teresa giving us a window into your life and letting us see what REAL looks like! I have hope!
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July 1, 2024Life is messy and…that’s real life
Teresa shares from her heart some of the most personal and pivotal experiences of her life. In her stories, I saw much of myself, particularly how II live in the busyness rather than the business of life. I’ve utilized the Realife process with one of her facilitators but after reading the story of how the process came to be, I look forward to utilizing these tools again to create more rest and less rush in my life.
Teresa shares from her heart some of the most personal and pivotal experiences of her life. In her stories, I saw much of myself, particularly how II live in the busyness rather than the business of life. I’ve utilized the Realife process with one of her facilitators but after reading the story of how the process came to be, I look forward to utilizing these tools again to create more rest and less rush in my life.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews