We’ve all been there. That terrible moment when you are preparing to access a program, your email, or a bank account and we are stumped by our own ingenious. We think back to the moment when we first set that new and exciting password, convincing ourselves that there was no way a hacker or any other unsavory element could ever find their way around your new password. The problem with new and ingenious passwords is that we often find ourselves in a position where we don’t remember the password either. Here are a few helpful tips to avoid that circumstance.
Create a list of passwords that you use frequently and save it in a handy spot. With all the smart phones available today there are also a ton of apps that will let you store your passwords, and protect them with a single entry pass code. This solves the problem of multiple passwords and all you have to remember is a single one.
Use a combination of dates and words that are familiar to you and you alone. I find that birthdates are too easy to remember and have frequently used my anniversary as the date of choice. This serves two purposes. First it is a date I am familiar with and makes for a much easier recollection when trying to get into the pesky bank accounts, and second the frequent repetition of my anniversary date has forced me to remember the date which serves well. One word of caution with this method, never use easy to figure out combinations like your last name and your birthday. Combinations should be a little more complicated and unique to you.
Use similar passwords for similar sites. With frequent changes and a rotating system, you can use a small number of passwords for different types of log ins. Emails can have one sequence of passwords, bank accounts and other financial places can have another. By rotating, but using the same password for similar activities, you will find it a lot easier to remember the password.
Remember the password is designed to keep you in and everybody else out – which is why a complicated password is a good idea, as long as you use one of these methods to prevent having to constantly reset the password on your accounts.
