I like to do things efficiently.

If I can tackle two goals in one fell swoop, I consider that a win.  Like for example, I make my sugar free chocolate as motivation for cleaning the dirty dishes in my sink.  Goal 1: healthy chocolate; goal 2: clean sink.

I’ve got two goals this new year that I’m going to tackle with one mental hack.  What’s neat about this hack is that it combines two areas of my life that don’t fit together in obvious ways.

Goal 1: Better Internet security – change passwords more often

I’ll admit that I don’t change my online passwords very often.  And I’m not alone in this. Online security experts are now saying that you need to change your passwords every 6 months.  One was recommending it as one of the things you do during Daylight Savings time:  1) set clocks, the ones that aren’t connected to the internet,  2) change the batteries in the smoke detectors, and 3) change your online passwords.

Password strength has become a new thing as well.  You can’t just have a word or even a bunch of words together to form a password.  You need to have numbers and capitals and symbols to make it harder for your passwords to be cracked.

Goal 2: More Scripture memory

One of our core beliefs is that the Scriptures are important and that Bible Memory is a key to strong faith and relationship with God.  We do a lot of this with the kids in their homeschooling but I’ve found that verses aren’t sticking in my head as well as they did when I was younger.

The big idea.

I need to memorize a new password.  I want to memorize Scripture.  Let’s combine the two..

I think the easiest way to show you what I’m doing is to run through an example.

John 3:16.

Most online passwords need to include capitals, numbers and symbols now, so that’s covered in the reference.  John 3:16, John3:16, or just J3:16.

Then I take the first letters of each of the words in the verse I’m memorizing and make that the rest of the password.

I’m also going to change the first word to the numeral ‘4’ because numerals are good for security, and I might change ‘and’ into ‘&’ or ‘+.’ You with me so far?

So this password will look like this:

J3:164Gsltwthgho&ostwbihsnpbhel.

OK, so that might be a little long.  And it’s also perhaps a little easy to guess if someone learns my password system (like by reading this post). 🙂 So I might obscure it a little more by skipping every other word or by skipping short words or even by picking out the key idea or phrase from it that I’m meditating on.

J3:164Gsttgootbhnbe

In the past, I’ve tried to make my passwords things I don’t have to think about, and this does not fit that bill at all. But here’s what I accomplish: every time I log in somewhere, in my head, I’m going over my memory verse and thinking about what God has to say. I even made my facebook password something related to “Redeem the time” from Ephesians 5:16 for a time because I knew I needed to hear those words from the Lord before logging onto facebook.

What do you think?  Good idea, bad idea? Too much work? Too hackable?