Passwords Matter – Get Yours in Order
There’s something about passwords that just annoys you, isn’t there? First you set your password, then 60 days later you’re supposed to change it. Some need a “special character” plus one number and exactly 13 letters. Really? How are you going to keep all of these things straight? And once you change them all, it seems like it’s time to change them all again. That’s probably why so many people fall back on using “password” as their password.
But a huge a-ha moment came over me when reading Brit & Co’s “How to Choose a Password You’ll Always Remember.“
Choose a Basic Password That Changes by Site
First, you want to choose a basic word or phrase that you’ll always remember. It could be your dog’s name, your favorite acronym (YOLO, anyone?), your anniversary (July16), four letters in a row on your keyboard…whatever you know you’ll remember.
Then, combine it with another word or phrase unique to the site you’re logging into. So if I were using my anniversary and logging into my Gmail account, my password might look something like this: July16gmail. If I were logging into my Amazon account, it would look like this: July16amazon. Get the direction I’m headed? Good.
Genius, right? That way all of your passwords are unique, have a combination of letters, and you can remember them? Incredible tip.
Another tip from this Career Girl – make your passwords motivational. If you’re a runner, put in something like “YouCanMarathon262.” If you’re looking to get a new job, try something like “RisetotheOccasion111.” Make your passwords something that will keep you accountable and excited to use every day. It might just help you manifest your own destiny.