When I was drafting research papers as a College student, years before the use of PCs became common, I used unlined blank sheets of paper to write the outline and the content. I recall that seeing lines hindered my thought processes. It likewise dictated the spacing of my handwriting.

It was different when I was taking notes, or just enumerating items I heard or list things that need to be done, which didn’t require much thinking. So lined notebooks for these, and similar purposes were okay.

Also, some reports have guideposts or “markers.” Sometimes, they are helpful; sometimes not because instead of a logical or natural flow of subtopics, they designate one subtopic after another. In one such report that I did, I had so many ideas in the beginning but the not-so-smooth transition from one to another jarred my mind, so I stopped.

Now, having been part of the workplace for over two decades, I have observed the things that affect my concentration and enthusiasm to do my tasks, aside from being physically unwell due to health reasons. Being too controlled is one. Being annoyed is another. Being heartbroken too. Dealing with an arrogant person/hypocrite/blatant liar is added to this list.

I have noticed too that different members of the team have various ways of doing things. One takes notes per idea brought up in a meeting, while another listens intently, digests the information, and writes down the highlights after.

Another example is in terms of sharing of ideas: Some team members are very vocal during meetings; others are quiet but they do give substantial information through a message or email, or even in a one on one meeting. The idea is to be open to different ways of doing things, as long as the outputs are met within the targeted date.

So, what are the “lines” and “markers” in your life? Have you resolved or worked around them?