— Noted.

Last week, my colleague was sharing some work on the projector and he had to sign into an account by pulling up his widget for 1password, an encrypted password manager. This person is the kind of person who I know would do due diligence in figuring out that this is the best password management system on the market, so I went home that night and downloaded it.

It took a long time (I will not lie), but setting it up was super easy and I converted passwords for 35+ different online accounts. I had no idea I had racked up this many log-in accounts, many which shared the same or similar password. I am still discovering more log-ins that I didn’t think of right away.

The way 1password works is you only have to remember one strong password. This password then unlocks a widget that stores all your unique super strong passwords that you can then copy and paste into your log-in screens for any account. Yes, this is one step more work than remembering that one not-so-strong password for every single log-in, but it is infinitely safer and avoids any fear of bleeding hearts.

The one thing 1password doesn’t immediately share on their website is that if you download the app for mobile use, it’ll set you back $17.99. Think of it as insurance for your online security, and it’s a fair price if you ask me.

As a bonus, you can also save secure notes and other important secrets. Like your credit card info.

Now go and get it. Do it. Yes, now.

UPDATE!
My friend was watching me open my browser into a log-in screen, and then go to my widget to retrieve password. All while I was happily boasting how I got my act together and was following his good example. He then (in much kinder words) replied, “But. What the heck are you doing?” He showed me how I can connect my browser to the password app and use it to automatically log into the accounts by either just selecting the page I want to go to via the password manager, OR by hitting a quick key if I’m already there. WHOA! Life just got a little easier.