You may think your life is busy but consider 71-year-old best-selling romance writer Danielle Steel, recently profiled in Glamour Magazine, who appears to be a force of nature with the energy and drive of a 21-year-old.

Born in 1947 and the author of 179 books, Steel’s been writing since the age of 19 and has sold over 650 million copies of her books worldwide. Married 5 times with 9 children, by her own estimates she continues to release about 7 new books a year. How does she sustain this level of work well into her later years? Well, here are some of her current work habits: she writes in 20-22 hour shifts, snacks on dark chocolate throughout the day (but no coffee), arrives in her home office by 8 a.m. every morning (and often spends the day in her cashmere nightgown) and forces herself to push through, no matter the time or condition, getting no more than 4 hours of sleep per night. Her vices? She’s a legendary shopper with homes in Paris and San Francisco but swears she’s disciplined and determined while writing, cutting off contact with the outside world except for calls from her children.

So is Danielle Steel a role model for older women or a crazy woman? Well, according to The Guardian, there’s virtually no physical way that she can sustain this level of effort and be as productive as she is with the lifestyle she describes. Quartzy heralds her as the creator of life’s biggest “hack” or short-cut: She gets things done by just doing them. In fact, what’s fascinating is that Steel cannot fathom the whole “work-life balance” ethos that permeates today’s conversations. As she has stated, “My work has always been my saving grace,” and like writer Agatha Christie, she hopes to die face-down into a typewriter (which, by the way, is what she still uses to write.)

So, whether you’re inspired or aghast by the drive of Danielle Steel, find out more about her life, her work, and her passions by clicking on her official website here or her personal website here.