5 Things to Stop Doing in Confluence (and What to Do Instead)

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As the year comes to an end, I’ve been reflecting on how teams use Confluence - and how small habits can make a big difference. Over time, I’ve noticed certain patterns that quietly reduce its value: good intentions that turn into clutter, confusion, or lost collaboration.

So before we step into a new year, here are five things worth stopping in Confluence - to make more space for clarity, teamwork, and trust.

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1. Stop treating Confluence as a random storage drive

Uploading documents without context or structure quickly turns Confluence into a dumping ground. A page that just hosts an attachment doesn’t help anyone. If people can’t find or understand the content, they won’t use it - and your ‘knowledge base’ loses value.

👉 Instead: Use pages to provide context, explain why the document matters, and link it to related content. Think of Confluence as a living knowledge hub, not a filing cabinet.

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2. Stop creating a page and then moving the conversation to email

This is one of the biggest mistakes I see. Someone creates a page, shares it, and then… the whole discussion moves to email. That means decisions, feedback, and clarifications are scattered and hidden.

👉 Instead: Keep the conversation where the content lives. Use inline comments or page comments so everyone can see the full story in one place.

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3. Stop ignoring outdated pages

When users open a page and see ‘Last updated in 2019’, trust is gone. Outdated pages pile up, people stop relying on Confluence, and the system collapses under its own weight.

👉 Instead: Make content reviews part of your workflow. Archive or update regularly. Our Marketplace app, Workflows for Confluence, can even automate content review cycles, so nothing slips through.

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4. Stop ignoring comments of other people

Publishing content is only half the job. If people leave comments and you never respond, it signals that collaboration is not welcome. Over time, people stop engaging.

👉 Instead: Treat comments as part of the knowledge-building process. A quick reply or acknowledgement shows that feedback matters and keeps people involved.

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5. Stop duplicating content instead of updating it

Need to share an update? Too many teams copy an existing page, make small edits, and publish a ‘new version. Before long, you have three pages saying slightly different things - and no one knows which one to trust.

👉 Instead: Update the existing page and let version history do its work. For critical documents, you can use our Workflows for Confluence app to help ensure only the right content goes live.

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Final Thoughts

Bad habits in Confluence make things messy and damage trust. Once people stop believing that Confluence holds the latest, most reliable information, they stop using it.

By breaking these five habits, you’ll clear the way for better practices, which I will share in the New Year’s article: ‘New Year Resolutions: 5 Things to Start in Confluence.’ Stay tuned!