On my first day at Atlassian, when I was first got my macbook and was setting up my password I had one of my favourite ideas.
Having a good secure password is important. You can (and should) use password managers so that you can have lots of different very strong passwords.
But perhaps for one password you find yourself typing in very frequently you might try something different… I think of it kind of like a password mantra. I like mine so much that I sometimes choose to type in my password rather than use my fingerprint to get into my computer.
Here’s how you do it:
- Think of a positive, affirming message that you’d like to tell yourself multiple times a day – it might be something about thinking more positively, living more healthily, swearing less often… whatever is your thing. Just make sure that you turn it into a positive message and not a personal rebuke.
- Then make a little passphrase that would be a good reminder of your affirming message. Check to make sure it is nice and strong and add a capital letter or numeral or something if you need to (to make it stronger or to meet whatever annoying requirements the system you’ll be using it for requires).
- Use this passphrase somewhere you need to sign in on a regular basis. (eg. your single sign on password for work).
Et voila – a password that is not only secure but also a micro-moment of positive affirmation when you’d least expect it.
