If you’ve ever been assigned a new password (say, to your work email or a new WiFi router), you know that these default passwords look something like this: 018ah127$32AH. Sure, that’s a very strong password that hackers are not likely to crack, but you will probably NEVER be able to remember it. With so many accounts — Instagram, Facebook, Apple ID — it’s pretty hard to keep track of it all. Using the same password for everything is not safe, and with virtual dangers like public WiFi, you need to protect yourself. Here are three tricks you can use to make sure you never forget a password again, plus a bonus hack for never forgetting your username. Yeah, we’ve all been there…
Use a password keeper.
if you have a handy dandy password keeper. Password managers can be plug-ins you install on your browser that will fill in your password for you when you need to input it somewhere. If you have multiple accounts on one site, most password managers will allow you to choose the login you’d like to use. Some classics are 1Password, Dashlane 4 ($40) and Last Pass 4.0 ($12 per month). Don’t want to shell out your dollars? Several trustworthy password keepers offer free desktop-only versions, but make sure you do some research first!
Use an acronym.
Mneumonics and acronyms are super helpful for getting your brain to remember something important. For example, you probably learned Roy G. Biv in Kindergarten and it’s stuck with you ’til now. You can use that same trick to create a password you’ll never forget — but is super safe too. Pick a sentence or a phrase stuck in your head like: My dog was born on July 5. Now just take the first letter from each word and (why not) let’s alternate caps, and the password becomes: MdWbOJ5
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Fall is right around the corner, and we're getting amped up for our next session of Selfmade, Brit + Co's 10-week interactive startup school. Designed to help you create a new business or grow your existing one, this course is personally led by Brit + Co founder Brit Morin and co-founder Anjelika Temple, and supported by more than a dozen of the top female entrepreneurs, creatives, and investors in the country. Students receive personalized coaching on everything from how to get out of your comfort zone to how to scale your business, and everything in between. And now, thanks to Office Depot, even more of you can join the course!
For the fall session, we're thrilled to team up with Office Depot to grant 200 FREE scholarship seats to the course. Scholarships are open to US residents, focusing on women of color, women from underserved and underrepresented communities, and women in need of support to help them trail-blaze. After all, we firmly believe that your support system is a huge part of how you achieve greatness, and we are here to cheer all of you on.
To nominate yourself or someone you know for a scholarship, head to our nomination form right here. The deadline for scholarship nominations is September 27th — it's time to take the leap!
Beyond the scholarship, Office Depot is all about helping you accomplish more. Whether it be the start phase, growth phase or keep businesses going phase, Office Depot offers a full suite of business solutions, including services and products, to help you work from anywhere, organize and save time and help build your brand.
So what are you waiting for? Take a chance on yourself and get yourself one step closer to truly being selfmade. Learn more about the Selfmade program, apply for a scholarship and prepare to be inspired :)