How to Create a Secure Password (Without Losing Your Mind)
Passwords aren’t going away. Everyone wants them to, but they’re still here, and most break-ins still happen because someone reused a bad one.
The problem isn’t that people don’t care.
The problem is that most advice used to be unrealistic.
Security only works if normal people can actually live with it.
First Rule: Length Matters More Than Fancy Tricks
Forget the old “one uppercase, one symbol, one number” nonsense as the main focus.
What really matters is length.
Short passwords die fast. Long ones don’t.
Aim for 14 characters or more. More is better. Always.
A long password that makes sense to you is far stronger than a short one full of symbols you’ll forget.
Stop Thinking “Password”, Start Thinking “Phrase”
Instead of one word with numbers swapped in, use a phrase.
Something like:
NummyMidnightTacoTreats
That’s:
Easy to remember
Hard to guess
Annoying for attackers to crack
If you want to harden it a bit:
Add a number at the front
Add a symbol at the end
Example:
9BlueTrainEatsTacosAtMidnight!
That’s strong without being painful.
Keyboard Patterns Aren’t Clever Anymore
Back in the day, keyboard patterns felt smart.
Today? Attack tools test those first.
If your fingers naturally type it, assume attackers already tried it.
Patterns like:
asdfghjkl123456
look long but are predictable. Predictable is bad.
Reusing Passwords Is How People Get Wrecked
This is the big one.
If you reuse a password and one site leaks it, attackers will immediately try it on:
Your email
Your bank
Your cloud accounts
Your social stuff
That’s how a random forum breach turns into identity theft.
Rules that actually work:
Email gets its own strong password
Banking gets its own strong password
Anything important is never reused
If it would hurt to lose, it gets a unique password.
Do I Really Have to Change Passwords All the Time?
No. Not automatically.
Constant forced changes usually make things worse, not better.
This isn’t a debate anymore. As of July 2025, NIST 800-63-4 3.1.12 section 6 officially says to stop forcing regular password changes. The guidance is clear, and I quote:
"Verifiers and CSPs SHALL NOT require subscribers to change passwords periodically. However, verifiers SHALL force a change if there is evidence that the authenticator has been compromised."
https://pages.nist.gov/800-63-4/sp800-63b.html#passwordver
Change a password when:
A site tells you they were breached
You fell for phishing (it happens)
You logged in on a sketchy system
You reused that password somewhere else
Otherwise, a long unique password can stay put.
Where Do You Store All This Stuff?
Your brain isn’t built for 30 strong passwords.
Sticky notes are obviously bad, but “I’ll remember them all” also doesn’t work.
Use a password manager.
KeePass for example if you like control. The exact tool matters less than the idea:
One very strong master password
Plus lots of unique generated passwords
That setup beats any “I memorized everything” strategy.
The Real Point
This isn’t about being paranoid.
It’s about limiting damage.
Good passwords don’t make you invincible. They:
Buy you time
Contain breaches
Turn disasters into annoyances
Have a system. Stick to it. Don’t overthink it.
Security should fit into your life, not fight it.