What is Open Space in Task Manager?
Open Space in Task Manager awards points as you go about your usual work. Close a task, meet a due date, create a task or write in a thread - points add up without any extra duties.
There are two types of points. PB, or Office Points, increase your character's level and can't be spent. Paperclips can be used to buy decorations for your character and desk. The shop isn't available yet: it will arrive in the next stage of the game, along with an isometric office view. You can start collecting paperclips now.
Open Space isn't a tool for evaluating employees. You can't lose points, and overdue tasks don't cost you anything. The game only rewards you.
What do you earn points for?
You earn points for everyday work: for every task you close, and more if you finish it before the due date. You also get a small bonus for every day you work in the app, and for consistency - a few working days in a row earns you extra points.
This way, the team gets into friendly competition. Everyone can see the office ranking and their own place in it, so they're more inclined to close something today rather than put it off until tomorrow - and move up a spot. Nobody loses points for backlog, so the competition motivates rather than stresses.
The exact rates are fixed. A closed task is worth 10 Office Points (OP), and one closed before the due date - 15 OP. The first activity on a given day, your “day in the office”, earns 2 OP, and every fifth working day in a row gets you a 10 OP bonus. The weekend doesn't break the streak: Friday and Monday count as consecutive. Level 2 starts at 100 OP, level 3 at 250 OP, and the thresholds keep rising after that. You also get 5 paperclips for a closed task, and 10 paperclips for moving up a level.
You only get points for completing a task if it has a due date, was created by someone else or has other people assigned to it. Your own note without a due date won't earn points. Each task can earn points only once: reopening and completing it again won't add anything. The daily limit for task points is 100 PB.
You'll get a notification on the Island, in the “Open Space” category, when you earn points. If you complete a task before its due date, you'll see something like: “Great! +15 PB and +5 📎 (ahead of schedule!)”. You'll get separate notifications for a streak bonus and levelling up. If the app was closed, you'll receive them the next time you open it. Your “day in the office” is recorded without a notification; you'll find the entry in the history on your player card. Find the card in Settings → Profile → “Open Space - Your character”. It shows your level with a progress bar, both balances, your day streak, the office leaderboard with the top 3 and your own position, and a table of your latest points with the columns When / For what / PB / Paperclips.
What do you gain?
At the end of the working day, you can see your ten most recent achievements on your player card, instead of trying to remember which completed items earned points. Completing an item before its due date gives you an extra reason to feel satisfied.
You can see the leaderboard and your own position in the team without turning the game into a performance review. If you don't want to take part in the rankings, you still collect points, but only you can see them.
You don't lose points for overdue tasks. So there's no record of negative scores for unfinished work.
Customer support team
Five people handle customer cases, each managing several requests a day. Everything is tracked as tasks with due dates, but simple requests are dealt with straight away while more complex ones are left “for later”. On Friday, they’re still open.
Open Space rewards you for completing an item before its due date. You earn 15 PB for a request completed early instead of 10 PB, and get 5 paperclips in either case. You won't miss a notification if the app is closed - you'll receive it the next time you open the app. Streaks reward consistency: five consecutive working days with activity earn you +10 PB. Weekends don't break your streak.
The game won't penalise anyone for a task that's been sitting there for three weeks. Open Space rewards activity - it's for fun and motivation, not employee evaluation.
Frequently asked questions
Is Open Space a system for evaluating employees?
No. Open Space rewards activity, but it isn't used to evaluate work. You can't lose points, and overdue tasks don't cost you anything.
Can I opt out of the leaderboard?
Yes. The player card has a “Hide me from the leaderboard” toggle. You still earn points, but only you can see them. The leaderboard only shows people who have earned points and haven't hidden themselves.
Can an administrator turn off the game for the whole company?
Yes. In Settings → Advanced, under “Open Space game”, the administrator can turn off the game for everyone. The card disappears and points stop accumulating. Any points already earned are kept and return when the game is turned on again.
Can you earn points artificially?
You only get points for completing a task if it has a due date, was created by someone else or has other people assigned to it. Each task can earn points only once, and the daily limit for task points is 100 PB.