Why Every Home Should Have a “Technology Notebook” (and What to Put In It)
Every household has one place where important things live — a drawer, a binder, a kitchen cabinet with the batteries and tape. Your tech deserves a spot like that too. Around here I call it the technology notebook, and it’s wonderfully ordinary: a small notebook you can hand to your spouse, your kids, or your future self and say, “Everything you need is in here.”
Set it up the easy way. Open to page one and write today’s date and a friendly note: “Start here for Wi-Fi, email, and accounts.” Then jot the Wi-Fi name you actually connect to and the password exactly as it’s typed — capital letters and all. Add your internet company’s name and the number you’d call if the service ever goes out. The next time a guest asks for the Wi-Fi, you won’t be squinting at a sticker on the back of a router.
Give your key accounts a home on the next pages: the email address you use, where you log in (for example, “mail.google.com”), your Apple ID or Google account, and the streaming services you actually watch. No need to write credit card numbers or anything sensitive — this is just the map, not the treasure. If you use a password manager (good choice), write which one it is and where you’ve stored the master password safely. That way the family knows what to open and how to start if they’re helping you.
A few lines about your devices go a long way. “iPhone 13,” “HP laptop,” “Brother printer in office,” “Ring doorbell by front door.” If I’m helping you remotely, those names let me give you clear, specific steps instead of “click the thing by the other thing.”
And here’s the part families always thank me for: a simple “if you’re helping me” note. It can be one sentence — who to call first, where the notebook lives, and where the password manager info is stored. It’s not gloomy; it’s kind. It keeps everyone calm and on the same page if life throws a curveball.
Will a technology notebook replace good security? Nope — it works alongside it. Use your password manager, turn on biometrics or passkeys when a site offers them, and keep this notebook as the friendly backup. When the TV asks for Netflix in your winter condo, or your printer forgets the Wi-Fi after a power blink, you’ll have everything you need without turning the house upside down.
If you want, I can sit with you and build the notebook in about a half hour — we’ll label it clearly, fill in the must-haves, and leave a few blank pages for the future. It’s one of those small projects that pays you back every time technology tries your patience.
