Memorize Complex Sequences (like Passwords) with Spaced Repetiton
It can be difficult memorizing so many passwords and phone numbers, but a recent experiment presented at the Symposium on Usable Privacy and Security explains an easy method for branding them into your brain.
The study, conducted by researchers Stuart Shecter and Joseph Bonneau, involved hundreds of participants who thought they were taking an ongoing series of attention tests. The real testing was actually being done on how the users logged in to the tests. Over time, the users slowly memorized complex passwords and passphrases using a process called "spaced repetition":
Every time the login screen appeared, the user would be prompted to type in a series of words or letters on the screen. Over time that string of characters took increasingly long to appear, prompting the user to enter it from memory. More letters and words were added to it over time: After 10 days of testing, the user was required to enter a series of 12 random letters or six random words-for example, "rlhczwpsnffp" or "hem trial one by sky group" to start the test.
The passwords and passphrases the users eventually memorized would take an entire year to crack, and that's with a million dollars worth of equipment.
Note that while this is handy, we don't really recommend you use it with passwords. You should have a separate password
That said, for other complex sequences you need to memorize, this works well. Just write down whatever it is you want to remember, and try to remember as much as you can every time you use it. Don't force it all at once because that defeats the purpose. Over time it will seal itself in your brain on its own, and all you have to do is give an honest effort to remember as much as you can each time.
Photo by Mr Seb.