How to Effectively Remember Your Computer Passwords

Websites, computer programs, bank account numbers, membership info....there is so much we ask our brains to remember without writing down its scary. In today's society, we are asked to enter so much private information to unlock our data and valuables. I understand why we do it, for protection, but when is it hindering on convenience? One thing I believe will help improve this convenience yet not compromise your online protection is the ability to write down all your passwords and account numbers all one place so you can remember them.

One of my clients calls it her Alzheimer's list; a written form of every web password, software password, account info and easily forgettable data she could think of. When I asked her what her email password was (I will talk about that boo boo later) she panicked a bit then remembers that she wrote it down somewhere. After about 5 minutes of searching she found the list, entered the password, and we were able to continue the service call.

Sometimes paper gets lost, destroyed, or stolen. If is ever was stolen how would you then protect that info from prying eyes? I remember in Mission Impossible where the message would self destruct if it got in the wrong hands. But if it did then how would you remember all that info?

Well I am here to introduce you to technology. Computer programs that main goal is to securely keep all of your information at your fingertips so you don't have to "remember" them anymore. And no I am not talking about those crazy roboform programs you download off the internet that auto-input your password in for you so you never have to remember them again. I find that technology dangerous and absent minded. You are relying on your computer instead of your brain to remember your passwords for you and if the computer crashes or a hacker decides to steal that unencrypted data from your computer, you are sunk. No I am talking about virtual wallets. Virtual wallets are encrypted programs that you manually enter your login or account information into and it saves it. The program is designed to run on your desktop, laptop, or PDA whether it's the Palm OS or Windows Mobile. By entering an "admission" password to get into your files, you have an infinite foundation to enter any sensitive info you desire.

Today the average person has about 25 password protected websites to remember, 3 bank accounts, 10 credit card accounts, and 15 miscellaneous data that they may need sometimes, like drivers license/VIN number, membership number, or even the code to the local pool. With a virtual wallet, you enter them in once, and if you need to recall it, just open the program, enter the admission password, go to the category you set up that has the information and voila! Now you can make up as crazy a password as you wish without fear of forgetting it. One note of advice? Never forget your email password! By setting the email program to remember your password and not writing it down you are asking for trouble. What if your email crashed and you needed to check your email elsewhere? Even if you click the remember password button, be sure to include all email accounts in the virtual wallet for safe keeping.