Previously, we have written about the importance of updating your security codes. We suggested that you don’t use important dates (e.g. 1-9-8-4, Amalgamated Locksmiths’ birthday) or visual patterns (8-5-2-0 forms a straight line on the keypad). We suggested that random sequences were the best. Although they are harder to guess, random sequences are also harder to remember. To help you, this week we propose our top five ways to remember your PIN.
I Can’t Remember My Pin, Can’t I Write it Down?
We would advise against this, but if you need to write down your security codes, we suggest hiding them. For example, don’t keep your PIN on a post-it note on your safe’s door! Instead, maybe hide the PIN as a street number of a fake address in your address book. For example, if you bought a safe from us and you set its code as 8-1-3-3, you could hide the code in a fake address, such as:
Amalgamated Locksmiths
8133 Smith St
Collingwood 3066
Only our keenest clients would know that our address is actually:
82 Smith St
Collingwood 3066
By hiding the PIN as an address in your address book, you will have it written down in a place only you will be able to find. The PIN is camouflaged so that a cursory glance at the page won’t make it stand out.
Encrypt Your Pin
If you do need to write it down in order to remember your PIN, don’t write it down verbatim. Hide it in an address, like above, or otherwise create small changes. For example, if it is 2-4-3-5, write down 3-5-4-6, where each digit is recorded as one higher than it actually is. There are a number of strategies like this on the internet, suggesting that you use maths or add false digits between the real ones.
Mnemonyms!
A mnemonym is a trick you use to remember something. For example, to teach kids compass points, we tell them: Never Eat Soggy Weetbix. N E S W. North, East, South West, the compass points in clockwise order.
To remember a PIN, take the first letters of the numbers in your code and make a sentence. Say your code is 3-5-7-4. The first letters then are T(hree), F(ive), S(even), F(our). “That Feels So Funny,” “True Friends Stay Forever” or “Turtles Find Speed Frightening” are all sentences that may help you remember your PIN – the more absurd, the better!
Make a Word
If you can, try to make a word out of the digits. Remember those days before smartphones when you would have to text using a number keypad? Each number corresponded to three or four letters. To spell “lake”, you would press 5-2-5-3. If your PIN is 4-2-6-3, you could spell “game”.
We recommend randomly-generated codes, but if you have the option to create your own PIN, you could choose a four-letter word meaningful to you and convert that into a code. Be careful though: partner’s or children’s names will be obvious and easier to guess!
Muscle Memory
Of course, the more you use them, the easier it will be to remember your PIN. Not least, this is because every time you enter your PIN, you strengthen your muscle memory. When you first change your pin, practise entering the code. In time, your body will be able to enter the sequence without your mind even being involved.
Contact Us
Amalgamated Locksmiths are Melbourne’s security specialists. We will install, service, repair and change the codes for the security devices in your home or business. Contact us for a free onsite quote and upgrade your home or business security today.
