How to Use IfGone

1. Start with a document on your own computer or device

Create a working document—just a simple file you can update easily. Keep it on your own device, where all your usual security applies. When you've filled it with the useful information you want to pass on, copy the text and paste it into your IfGone vault. Consider the vault copy a backup of your working document.

Whenever something changes—a password, an instruction, a bill you now handle differently—update your working document first. Then copy the new version and replace the old text in your vault.

You can only update a vault slot every 30 days. That might be less often than you update your working document. No problem. Just set an email reminder for that slot, and IfGone will nudge you when it's time to refresh the vault copy.

2. What information should you pass on? Start with what only you take care of

It's not pleasant to imagine, but ask yourself: what wouldn't get done if you weren't able to do it? That's your top priority.

• Prioritise by frequency. Something you do daily goes at the top. A yearly task goes nearer the bottom.
• Prioritise by how bad it would be if it didn't get done. Instructions for fixing the heating matter more than the paint colour in the bathroom.
• Put living things first. People, pets, plants—anything that needs ongoing care wins over everything else.

3. Write instructions for someone without your knowledge

Pretend the person reading this knows almost nothing about the thing you're describing. That's usually closer to the truth than you think.

• Describe what things look like. Colour, shape, location, a unique mark—anything that helps someone identify the right object or place without guessing.
• Avoid web links. Your instructions might be read years from now, and links die. Stick to names, places, and plain directions.
• Don't skip the basics. What feels obvious to you might be invisible to someone else.

4. Group information into topics

Use headers, titles, and clear groupings. It makes the reader's job easier—and the more you help them, the more likely they get the outcome you want.

Each vault slot holds over 10 million characters, so don't worry about space. Write as much detail as you need.

One helpful approach: organise information the way it exists in the real world. For your house, group notes by rooms or floors.

5. A quick note about your private key

You don't need to store your IfGone private key inside your IfGone vault. But if you have multiple vaults, you could include other vault's digital keys in one with a paper or metal printed physical QR code.