Most applications require your password be 8 characters long. Where possible, it should consist of 3 of the following: upper case letters, lower case letters, numbers and special characters. Your password should not have repeating letters or numbers, should not be directly related to you, not your dog's or child's name, your favorite sport or sports team. Complete words are susceptible to dictionary attacks and are to be avoided.
Possible Techniques
Scripture based - use book, chapter and verse of favorites, 2 Corinthians 12:9 becomes 2cor129
Substitute numbers for letters - zeroes for the alpha 'O', 5 for 'S', 2 for 'T' or create your own substitutions
Combine a name with an old phone number - Bill 4373 becomes B4I3L7L3
Close your eyes and point to a word on 2 different pages, combining the first four letters of each
Use the first or last letter of each word in a phrase - Three blind mice, see how they run becomes 3BM,CHTR or EDE,EWYN
Use combinations of your initials, spouse's initials, wedding anniversary, phone extension, cubicle or office number, license plate number, make of vehicle, stock symbols, etc.
Use a keyboard sequence - first 4 letters on the bottom row combined with a four digit sequence from the number pad
Skip the vowels in a word - password becomes psswrd, fill in the extra spaces with numbers, e.g. pss91wrd or 9psswrd1
A 6 digit single-case password has 308 million possible combinations which can be cracked in a matter of minutes using a brute-force attack. By using upper and lower case, 1 numeric digit and 1 special character for a total of 8 characters, you have raised the possible combinations to 6095 trillion. (Source: Texas A & M University)
If you can't remember your password and must write it down, keep it safe in your wallet or in a file cabinet or desk drawer that you lock each time you leave the area. Never store your logons or passwords on your laptop, C-drive or any other device that could be accessed without your knowledge. If you suspect your password is known to others, change it! Never share your password with anyone!
Passwords to all applications must be changed every 45 days.