On paper, Dylan Goodale has the perfect life. Here’s an average day: Wake up, eat a bowl of Lucky Charms, step outside to check the surf conditions in paradisiacal Hawaii, watch the sunrise from the ocean, surf – often professionally – all day.
To say he’s lucky man is an understatement, but he’d be the first to agree. “I’m lucky enough to be able to say I do what I love and love what I do,” he tells Tomorrow Magazine.
Goodale generously took some time out of his utopian schedule to discuss his bedtime routine, his complicated relationship with electronics, and how he de-stresses with the “elixir of life”.
What’s keeping you up at night right now?
Dylan: I try to wear myself out a much as I can throughout the day so that sleep welcomes me like an old friend. but usually I lay awake and just wonder about what’s next. No particular worry, just what it will be like, tomorrow, next week, in five years. That’ll always spin your mind for a few extra minutes.
What do you wear to sleep?
Dylan: Silk boxers!
Go-to late night snack?
Dylan: Lucky Charms.
What was your last dream?
Dylan: I dreamt that I spent a whole day at home on Kauai, hanging with old friends, surfing with my dad, getting dinner with a childhood crush, then all of a sudden, a police siren brought me back to my bed in Los Angeles as the sun started to rise. Maybe I’m homesick?
Last thing you do before going to sleep?
Dylan: I try to read books right before bed. Physical, non-LED, turn-page books. Calming, brain food bedtime stories.
How many hours do you sleep?
Dylan: The hours I sleep are highly irregular. I don’t have a set schedule that calls for a routine sleeping program. I try to get at least seven hours but sometimes it’s more, sometimes it’s less.
What’s the first thing you do when you get out of bed?
Dylan: Grab my phone to check the time while trying to avoid getting sucked into “The Feed”. Then brush my teeth, make coffee, and walk outside to see what it’s like.
What makes you WANT to get out of bed?
Dylan: Sounds pretty surfer cliché, but really good waves. If I know it’s going to be good, I’m up in the dark ready to go. Nothing like watching the sunrise from the ocean.
What else do you do in your bed besides sleep?
Dylan: I’m answering this question in my bed right now. Anything I have to do on my computer, usually in the mornings.
What makes you fall asleep?
Dylan: Being surfed out exhausted.
Why is surfing important to you?
Dylan: Surfing has given me everything in life. I have friends in every part of the world, I get to travel constantly and am constantly exposed to different cultures, lifestyles, and all the things they can’t teach you in a classroom. And when your work is your passion there’s really no complaints! There’s a saying about that – Steve Jobs maybe? I’m lucky enough to be able to say I do what I love and love what I do.
What gives you energy throughout your day?
Dylan: Coffee in the morning as a kick start but my natural energy seems to gather momentum all day.
What’s your favorite life hack?
Dylan: Bulletproof Coffee. Coffee, raw butter, coconut oil. Smooth, clean energy, all day long.
How does sleep impact your day?
Dylan: Sleep sets up the whole day. Lethargy is a huge downer. If you don’t get a good night’s sleep you can’t perform at your best so it all starts there. And how much happier are you after a good sleep? Wake up and smile.
What’s your relationship with your electronics? Do they sleep with you?
Dylan: I hate it but definitely borderline cuddle them all night. Usually my arms are wrapped around my pillow with my hand resting on my computer, phone on the other pillow. It’s going to be interesting what information studies find about these habits in the next few years. “Appleuenza” or something. Maybe that’ll be the end.
What is your bedtime ritual?
Dylan: Brush my teeth and write in a journal. Writing is a big part of my bedtime routine. Ideas, thoughts, events of the day – just anything. Pen to paper.
How do you deal with stress?
Dylan: A jump in the ocean. Very cleansing. The elixir of life I think.
If you have an extra 15 minutes in your day, what do you do with it?
Dylan: Unfortunately, I have that ultra-common disorder where you automatically open your phone and unconsciously start scrolling through Instagram. Next thing you know you snap back to life and realize you’re on your best friend’s, brother’s, girlfriend’s page, two weeks back. It’s worse than cigarettes.
What do you want to be when you wake up?
Dylan: Maybe a little taller? A baller?
What city do you sleep in?
Dylan: I sleep wherever my travels take me but I have a bed in Los Angeles and in my hometown of Hanalei.
This interview has been lightly edited and condensed for clarity.
The views, opinions, and positions expressed in this post do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions, or positions of Tomorrow Sleep LLC, its affiliates or their employees.