I started using a password manager (1Password) and never looked back.
If an employer makes passwords complex and doesn’t allow password managers, I base it off the date, like ItsJan2017&.
I imagine this is quite easy to guess because it’s a common problem, but my philosophy is I have to do my job, and at least I’m not leaving it on a Post-it note under the keyboard. If they want stronger passwords they can try making it a little easier to manage.
IT security can be such a canine-equestrian theatrical production sometimes.
I have three usernames at work (technically, there’s a fourth, but I only log in there once a year or less) and maybe a half dozen online (usually because my preferred one has already been used).
I do need multiple passwords, but I put them into specific categories. For instance, I have to reset people’s passwords all the time, and the temporary password I give them are names of comedians. I have similar categories for the other passwords I need to change at work. If I know a password is the name of a mystery author, it’s much easier to keep track. Something like “Agatha&Christie” is easy to remember and when it expires, you go to “Ellery&Queen” or even mix them up “Roald&Marsh.” (And no, I do not use mystery authors as a category.)
At my job, my userID is a smartcard and my password is its PIN. They’ve done a good job unifying authentication and authorization to that single-sign-on interaction.