Vent: my password manager vs sticky notes experiment went sideways fast

I spent 3 hours last week setting up Bitwarden on all my devices after a buddy swore by it, then locked myself out of my own email by morning... turns out I forgot the master password I thought was so clever. Back to yellow sticky notes on my monitor for now, anyone else have a password system that just doesn't stick?

2 comments

Log in to join the discussion

Log In

2 Comments

derek784mo ago

Bitwarden is great until you trip over your own feet with the master password. I started using a physical notebook hidden in a drawer for just that one password. The key is to write it down somewhere safe but not obvious, then treat that notebook like a treasure map. After locking myself out twice I realized the master password is the one thing you cannot afford to forget. Sticky notes on the monitor are fine for temporary stuff but they scream "hack me" to anyone walking by. Maybe try a password hint that only makes sense to you instead of the actual password.

4

the_ben4mo ago

Gotta admit I used to think the whole "write it down" thing was pretty dumb. I figured if you couldn't remember a password you were doing something wrong. But after reading your story and thinking about it more I can see the logic. The master password is the one key to everything and if you lose it you're totally screwed. A notebook hidden somewhere safe is probably way more reliable than trusting your own brain or a sticky note. You changed my mind on this one.

9