OpusDead space: what idle computer time really tells you
Every workday has gaps — meetings away from the keyboard, lunch, thinking time, or genuine downtime. We call the inactive stretches "dead space." Measuring it isn't about punishing breaks; it's about understanding when and why the computer goes quiet.
Three kinds of inactive time
- Idle — the machine is unlocked but there's no input. Could be reading, a phone call, or stepping away.
- Locked — the person deliberately locked the screen. Usually away from the desk.
- Offline — no telemetry at all: powered off, asleep, or off-network.
Lumping these together hides the story. A day that's 40% "inactive" looks alarming until you see it was three locked meeting blocks — exactly what you'd expect from a collaborative role.
When dead space matters
Patterns are more useful than totals. Opus shows inactivity by hour and lists the longest stretches, so you can spot a support rep who's consistently offline during peak ticket hours, or a workflow that strands people waiting on a slow system. Those are operational problems you can fix — not character judgments.
FAQ
Does Opus track what someone does away from the computer?
No. It only knows the computer was idle, locked, or not reporting. It cannot and does not observe the person off-screen.
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