The New Year is the perfect time to reset how we work in Confluence. In my last article, I wrote about the habits we need to stop doing - the ones that make Confluence messy, unreliable, or underused. This time, let’s flip the perspective. Here are five simple things you can start doing in Confluence to make it a trusted hub and a tool your team actually enjoys using.
Confluence works best when it connects information, not just stores it. Pages that explain context, decisions, and next steps are far more useful than isolated documents.
When creating content, start by answering a few simple questions: why this page exists, who it is for, and how it should be used. Over time, this approach turns your spaces into places people return to, not places they open only when they are stuck.
Decisions, feedback, and clarifications lose value when they stay in email inboxes. When discussions happen directly on the page, context stays intact and knowledge remains visible to the whole team.
Encouraging comments and inline feedback helps future readers understand not only what was decided, but also why.
Trust in Confluence grows when people know the information is current. Regular content reviews do not need to be complex or time-consuming.
For example, you could use the Approvals for Confluence marketplace app to add a simple section review or a one-stage approval for important pages. This helps teams confirm that content has been checked and is still valid, without adding unnecessary process overhead.
Clear signals such as review status or approval history help users understand whether content is ready to use, still evolving, or no longer relevant.
When people comment, suggest changes, or keep pages updated, it matters. A short response or acknowledgement encourages further participation and signals that collaboration is welcome.
Over time, this creates a healthier culture around documentation, where Confluence feels like a shared space rather than a publishing platform for a few.
Pages without ownership often become outdated quietly. Assigning responsibility, even informally, helps ensure content stays relevant and maintained.
For more complex content, the Workflows for Confluence marketplace app can be used to build multi-stage workflows with approvals and expiration rules - for example, triggering a review when a page is edited or after a certain date. This brings clarity and consistency without relying on manual reminders.
Small changes in habits can transform the way teams see and use Confluence. If 2026 is the year you want Confluence to become more than just a document store, these five resolutions are a good place to begin.
Do you have any Atlassian resolutions or good habits you want to maintain this year? Tell me in the comments - we can all share, and keep each other accountable.
Yulia Lenina (AppFox)
Partner Manager
AppFox
Reading, UK
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