Happy first month of 2026, everyone!
The year is just getting started, and it’s already been full of momentum, from personal records to projects extending into the months ahead. Enjoy.
Top Lessons From This Month 💡
The fastest way to evolve is to do the things that make you uncomfortable today because they build the version of you the future depends on. Short-term discomfort is the down payment on long-term greatness.
Volunteering opens up an entirely different universe of opportunities. You can work your way up to joining the board, earn strong recommendations, and gain real metrics and case studies, often for free, by working with nonprofits. It’s one of the best ways to build professional experience and create a pathway to paid work/clients.
What I’ve Been Up To 📈
Achieved 98.2% less energy per visit, 98.1% less CO₂ per visit, and 98.1% less water per visit in a website redesign project. This is a personal and Oasis of Change record!
Featured in a documentary about cyberbullying, which will likely be on Netflix when it’s released in May.
Received $1,000 from the federal government of Canada through Services and Employment Canada to build a hub promoting digital sustainability, accessibility, and a guide for nonprofit in-kind technology grants. More to come next month.
Accepted into the British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT) for Business Management, and took my high school graduation photos with my best friend, Sean, who will also be attending BCIT.
Joined as a campus leader at Lovable, the world’s fastest-growing startup. Proud to be the youngest member of the cohort. Learn more.
Completed a website redesign for mittlerseniortech.com, the world’s premier computer and smartphone education service for senior citizens, founded by award-winning Jordan Mittler. I’ve been working with Jordan for the past 3 years. I optimized the homepage to be ~25% leaner (533 → 400 lines) and ~26% lower-emissions per visit, cutting page weight from 1.58 MB → 1.17 MB while improving the site’s sustainability rankings (cleaner than 76% of websites globally) and raising the Ecograder score from 69 → 78. Accessibility jumped from 64 → 87, and SEO is now a perfect 100/100, meaning the site is more inclusive, easier to find, and better aligned with best practices.
Quotes 💬
“You can't make time go faster or success come sooner. The only thing you can control is the next action.”
— James Clear
“Compete externally and you compare. Compete internally and you improve.”
— James Clear
“The more you create, the more powerful you become.
The more you consume, the more powerful others become.”
— James Clear
“The ultimate form of preparation is not planning for a specific scenario, but a mindset that can handle uncertainty.”
— James Clear
Curious about my past adventures?
Catch up on all my previous updates in the newsletter archive. You never know what gem you might find!
Shoutouts 👏
Sofia Sanchez (): for meeting with me via Zoom and having a lovely conversation about life, including The Knowledge Society (TKS).
What’s Next? 🚀
I’m doing a TEDx talk titled “Digital Sustainability: The Missing Piece of Tech and AI Literacy” on February 13 at TEDxEcole Mission Secondary.
Applying to be valedictorian for my high school graduation. I’d like to do it alongside my friend Oleg as co-valedictorians, as the school did last year.
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Onwards and upwards,
Gabriel Dalton
P.S. Want more behind-the-scenes? For more in-depth discussions, check out my LinkedIn or Medium profiles.