The Password Change Cycle

If you work on an office or shared computer which requires you to login, this scenario should sound familiar.

Company security policy has just forced you to change your system password again.  These password policies generally include a requisite that the change must be made immediately before a weekend or other extended period of absence to ensure maximum potential for forgetting about the change, thus increasing employee frustrations to align with company goals.  As a result of the change you have now entered the password change cycle.

Phase 1.  You attempt to login and have completely forgotten about the password change.  You type the old password, click 'login' and the 'error message of shame' sounds to remind you that you are a moron.  Generally towards the end of phase 1 you will realise that you have typed the wrong password a few split-seconds after you have clicked 'login'.

Phase 2.  Usually achieved towards the end of day 1 of the password change, you start typing the old password but remember midway through that it changed, backspace and retype new password.

Phase 3. Common on the first login attempt of day 2, you are tired and probably hungover after the weekend/holiday and you have once again completely forgotten about the password change; you have returned to phase 1- only this time it is much more frustrating because at the end of day 1 you were so sure you had achieved phase 2.

Phase 4.  You are now making such an effort to remember the new password that you use it to login to everything, including the other systems that are still using your old password.

Phase 5.  Generally after a week you will achieve phase 5, where your new password is now embedded in your morning routine, but you still have to make a conscious effort when using systems that still use the old password.  It is common during phase 5 for frustration to force you to change the password on these other systems to match your new password, moving you into phase 6 of the password cycle.

Phase 6.  All of your systems now use the same new password but your brain is still used to every system having a different password, so now you have to stop and think for every login attempt.

Phase 7.  Phase 7 is password change nirvana where you now effortlessly login without having to think about the password.  This is usually achieved with less than a week to go before the next password change is due.