I wanted to share my system in managing passwords, especially after reading this[1] story on HN yesterday. Without thinking much, I've always been against these app enabled solutions for managing important information, reading that story only increased that feeling.

How to rely on yourself and a system personal to you to manage your passwords? 1. Have a system. 2. Use the surrounding information to always tell you how to access your password (or other important information).

The only requirement for the system is that it is consistent. Once you start using it, you can't change it. If you want to change it, you have to start fresh.

For example, a system can be: ${constantSpecial1}${context}${constantSpecial2}... By using this the only thing you need to remember is the ${constantSpecial1} and ${constantSpecial2}. Make them as complex and as easy to remember as you can.

What I mean by use the surrounding information? If you're logging into a website, the website is always known to you. You can't forget that, because, it's the website name. So in conjunction with the system, you can always have a unique password for a unique website.

Examples: System - veryWeak${context}123

Passwords: ... Log into Facebook: veryWeakFacebook123 Log into HN: veryWeakHackerNews123 Log into BBC: veryWeakBBCNews123 ...

By using these simple rules, it's quite impossible to forget your passwords. You also have a unique password for all services.

Hope this was interesting!

P.S. If you're logging into a shady website, which does not seem trustworthy, use a simple password (password1), to check if they do anything shady. Only after confirmation use your real password.

[1]: https://shkspr.mobi/blog/2022/06/ive-locked-myself-out-of-my-digital-life/