Never forget your passwords again with these genius tips

Never forget your passwords again with these genius tipsNever forget your passwords again with these genius tipsLast weekend, I forgot four sets of passwords and usernames over a 48-hour period. Collectively, I welchested a miserable - anddeeply frustrating- hour failing to figure them out, getting locked out, and eventually resetting them. And the sad thing is they are all a variation of the same thing - a security no-no - meant tomake recall especially easy. My usual practice of jotting down my account credentials on a random piece of paper or in tiny notebooks that I idiotically think Ill magically rediscover when mymemoryfails me is no longer working. I decided it was time for an intervention and discovered two foolproof methods to help me - and you - stop squandering time, energy, and productivity on forgotten passwords.Follow Ladders on FlipboardFollow Ladders magazines on Flipboard covering Happiness, Productivity, Job Satisfaction, Neuroscience, and moreTake a high-tech approachThe easiest - and best option as far as security goes - is to use an app likeKeeperorDashlane, which allow you to securely store super complex passwords all in one place across all your devices. The latter service is free for up to 50 passwords, but given that the average user in the United States has130 accounts, according to research conducted by Dashlane - and will have to reset a forgotten password at least37 times each year- the $4.99 option that provides space for unlimited passwords might be the better option.Go old-schoolWhile using the latest tech to improve our lives is a sensible move, theres a good case to be made for taking an old-fashioned approach to better remember and organize our credentials on our own.Research going as far back as the 60sshows that organization is crucial to recall andrecent studieseven suggest that our use of digital technology interferes with our capacity to fasson memories, so designing your own plan of recall is a good opportunity . Try this.Pick three unrelated words that matter to youWhile most of us are inclined to use passwords tethered to our lives and histories, its critical theyre not obvious and that each one is distinct. Im a big fan of using three unrelated words, such as apple-staircase-mutton, Kathleen Nadeau, Ph.D., a clinical psychologist in Maryland and co-author ofADD-Friendly Ways to Organize Your Life. The three words, ideally, would be meaningful to the individual to make them super easy to recall.Jot them down in codeWhether its a spreadsheet or a notebook you keep under your mattress, be sure youve not written the actual password down. Write clues that will activate your memory. For example, if my password is downey-shirley-converse, Id write in my log book, hometown, best friend, favorite sneakers. An unusual but highly effective way to remember your password is to make a picture of it, according to Tracy Alloway, Ph.D., author of theThe Working Memory Advantage. Arecent studycame out th at when you draw, youre more likely to remember it because it engages multiple sources, she says, emphasizing that it doesnt matter whether youre a good bewegungsknstler or not. Setting your password to the music of a favorite song is another handy way of reinforcing your memory, Alloway says. Dont pick an esoteric song. Choose one of your favorites, she cautions.Its not that any of us have a bad memory, Alloway adds, Its all about putting the information in properly by using adeeper encoding process to help you remember.This article originally appeared on Thrive Global.You might also enjoyNew neuroscience reveals 4 rituals that will make you happyStrangers know your social class in the first seven words you say, study finds10 lessons from Benjamin Franklins daily schedule that will double your productivityThe worst mistakes you can make in an interview, according to 12 CEOs10 habits of mentally strong people