I have used Ubuntu on desktop and laptop for years. My main advice is consider when to upgrade. I never upgrade to the latest release on release day. Usually

I have used Ubuntu on desktop and laptop for years. My main advice is consider when to upgrade. I never upgrade to the latest release on release day. Usually I try to wait two months. Safer would be three months. By then most of the major bugs found on release should be fixed. I was burned more than once by not doing this. On the other hand, when I had more free time, I tested pre-release Ubuntu releases in the KVM, or even installed them as boot alternatives in GRUB, reporting any errors I could find. If you're concerned about breakage, wait at least two months after release before upgrading. Maybe even three.