Stay Updated, Stay Ahead!

[#1]

Hey everyone! 👋

So, quick question:
Ever feel like Atlassian updates are moving faster than you can keep up?
Because seriously, there's something new almost every week — new features, smarter tools, shiny buttons popping up out of nowhere. 

As someone who's deep into the Atlassian world every day (Jira admin life 💻), I’ve started doing a few things differently to stay sane, productive, and even have a little fun along the way.

Here’s my not-so-secret guide 👇

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1. The 15-Minute Brain Boost

I give myself 15 mins a day to learn just one thing:

• New feature

• Automation trick

• Cool post in the Community

• Anything about Rovo (I'm still trying to make it my AI buddy 🤖)

I treat it like a daily quest. Jira task, checklist, and boom — it goes to “Done.” ✔

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2. Follow Tags Like a Detective 🕵️‍♀️

You know how we follow hashtags on LinkedIn?
Same deal here.

I follow tags like #automation, #cloud-changes, #productivity, #confluence-love – and it’s honestly the easiest way to filter out the noise. If I see "Release Notes" tagged, I click. Fast, focused, no FOMO.

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3. My “Learning Snippets” Confluence Page

Every time I find something new (like a hidden Jira shortcut or how to make a cool dashboard gadget), I quickly write a note in my Confluence page.

No long paragraphs. Just bullets, screenshots, maybe a meme. 

And yes, it makes me feel like I’m building my own mini-Atlassian-Wiki.

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4. One Event a Month Rule

Even if it’s just a webinar I watch while eating lunch, I pick one Atlassian event a month:

• ACEs (love the vibe!)

• Product demo webinars

• Team '25 recaps (you saw that new stuff, right?! 👀)

One event = tons of new ideas + maybe some cool people to connect with 🙌

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5. Gamify Everything!

This one changed the game (literally):
I made a “Level-Up” board in Jira just for myself.

Each time I:

• Answer a Community post 🧠

• Share a LinkedIn tip 💬

• Learn a new feature 🧪
  ...I move a card to the “Leveled Up 💥” column.

And it keeps me going.

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Over to you!

Do you also feel like Atlassian updates come at the speed of light? ⚡
Got any fun or unusual ways you keep up and stay productive?

Share them below 👇 I’m always looking to steal—I mean, learn—new tricks 😄

Let’s grow together,
— Sanam Malleswari ✨

[Amanda Barber]

I think the trickiest part is when there are surprise changes I just stumble on in the UI! 🙃

[Andrew Zimmerman]

Love these ideas @Sanam Malleswari. Sometimes it feels like keeping up with updates is a job in itself, so I can definitely relate to limiting my inputs and setting aside intentional learning time. When I don't, it's too easy to be washed away down an information rabbit hole and lose focus. 😅

[Brita Moorus]

These are such great ideas, @Sanam Malleswari - thanks for sharing them! 🙌

I've actually started setting some personal Atlassian goals too, and it’s made a big difference in how I stay engaged and keep learning.

✅ I try to check out new Community posts for about 30 minutes each day (although I’ll admit… it’s really hard to stick to just 30 - everything's so interesting!)

✅ I aim to answer at least 5 questions every week - it helps me learn so much in the process, especially when I test the solutions myself before posting.

✅ I also started a learnings page in Confluence - just a simple bullet list of tricks, commands, or things I figured out while problem-solving

✅ I joined a couple of ACE events and webinars - even when I can't attend live, I catch the replays during a coffee break

Loving the idea of the “Level-Up” board - I might steal that one! 😄 Always up for learning more tips from others, so keep them coming! ✨

[Shawn Doyle - ReleaseTEAM]

I let @Alex Ortiz find the changes for me.

[Daria Kulikova_GitProtect_io]

Nice tips @Sanam Malleswari  ! Thanks for sharing! :) Sometimes it's really hard to keep up with all the changes.

[Joe Dermody]

Great Tips!! Thank you for sharing.