Most policies don't let you reuse the last N passords (N is often 5 or 10). So standard practice is to start or end the password with a digit and increment it

Most policies don't let you reuse the last N passords (N is often 5 or 10). So standard practice is to start or end the password with a digit and increment it when you are forced to. Better yet, digits are on the top row with the symbols, so you can knock off 2+ categories without moving your fingers. Most employees have a sincere desire to their work with a minimum of fuss, and this does pretty well.