Balancing act: Rolodex, standard hours listed as office dinosaurs

"These include having a clone or assistant to help you in your day (25 percent), a place in the office that provides natural sunlight (25 percent) and a quiet place in your office where you’re allowed to take a nap (22 percent)," the LinkedIn release said. "In a funny twist, 19 percent of respondents said they wish they had a mute button for their coworkers, so they don’t have to hear them talk."

Hmmm. That mute button does sound interesting, and I've written before about the need for more napping spaces in the office. However, I'm not entirely comfortable with the clone idea. I'd be worried that the clone would do a better job than me, making me expendable.

I'm interested to hear your thoughts on this topic. What office tools or trends do you think will disappear in the next five years, and which ones have you seen vanish in the last five or 10? What tools will grow in popularity in the years to come? And what would your dream office tool or trend of the future be?

Send me your ideas, and I'll revisit this topic in a future column.

Email your comments to kratzbalancingact@gmail.com or post them online at deseretnews.com. Follow me on Twitter at gkratzbalancing or on Facebook on my journalist page.