You’ve probably heard time and again that you need to have a secure password. Whether it’s your iPad, cellphone, laptop, or any other device, a password will keep you from prying eyes. The only problem with creating a secure password is that these alphanumeric mixes are hard to create. Thankfully, there’s a relatively easy solution to this problem and it comes in the form of some good old-fashioned know-how. Here are some tips that will keep your files save from any kind of spy – even the James Bond kind.

Change Is Always Good

Whether it’s in life or when it comes to passwords, change is always a good thing. You should change your password frequently. How frequently? If you want to be a fanatic about it, change that password every day…though this could become confusing. A much saner approach would be to change your password once per month. If this seems excessive, just keep in mind that anyone seeking to crack open your device or email will keep watch on those passwords that you use often. If you change your password frequently, it’s a lot harder for a thief to keep up.

Use Different Passwords

Do you use the same password for your email and your Facebook account? This is a bad, bad, idea. If someone has the password for your email account, for example, chances are that same password will work when it comes to logging into your bank account or other accounts. Don’t make the mistake of using the same password for every site and device you encounter. Make up a new password every time you need to come up with some letters and numbers – this is one of the best ways to avoid being hacked.

Be Original!

You might think that the date of your kid’s birthday is a good password. It’s not. You may think that the name of your favorite book is a good password, but guess what? It’s not. Are you considering using the first letters on your keyboard or your home phone number? Don’t; these are all bad passwords. If a hacker wants to break into anything you own or any site you frequent, the first thing that hacker will do is try all of those familiar letters and numbers you thought were so secretive. Try using a phrase that means something to just you or some strange combination of letters and numbers that aren’t written anywhere else.

Don’t Show Your Password to Anyone

It happens – you write down your passwords on sticky notes or on a piece of paper and leave those notes on your desk. If you can’t remember your passwords, please do not write them down for the world to see. Instead, use a password-keeping program – there are lots of these to choose from! These programs will keep your passwords safe, and all you have to do is remember one password to access the program. Trust me, password keepers make keeping tabs on all of those passwords a heck of a lot easier, and nobody will have access to these programs – sticky notes just don’t provide the same protection.