diff --git a/include/cosmology_calculator.hh b/include/cosmology_calculator.hh
index df876fa..1ec1417 100644
--- a/include/cosmology_calculator.hh
+++ b/include/cosmology_calculator.hh
@@ -293,7 +293,7 @@ namespace cosmology
             {
                 cosmo_param_.set("pnorm", 1.0 / Dplus_target_ / Dplus_target_);
                 auto sigma8 = this->compute_sigma8();
-                music::ilog << "Measured sigma_8 for given PS normalisation is " << sigma8 << std::endl;
+                music::COLUMN_ilog("Measured sigma_8", sigma8 );
             }
             cosmo_param_.set("sqrtpnorm", std::sqrt(cosmo_param_["pnorm"]));
 
diff --git a/include/logger.hh b/include/logger.hh
index 4df119f..a089254 100644
--- a/include/logger.hh
+++ b/include/logger.hh
@@ -21,6 +21,8 @@
 #include <cstdarg>
 #include <fstream>
 #include <iostream>
+#include <iomanip> // for std::setw
+#include <string> // for std::string
 
 namespace music {
 
@@ -148,4 +150,32 @@ extern log_stream wlog;
 extern log_stream ilog;
 extern log_stream dlog;
 
+// global functions for convenience
+inline void COLUMN_ilog(const std::string& text1, const std::string& text2) {
+  music::ilog << std::setw(32) << std::left << text1 << " : " << text2 << std::endl;
+}
+
+inline void COLUMN_ilog(const std::string& text1, bool flag) {
+  music::ilog << std::setw(32) << std::left << text1 << " : " << (flag?"enabled":"disabled") << std::endl;
+}
+
+inline void COLUMN_ilog(const std::string& text1, double value) {
+  music::ilog << std::setw(32) << std::left << text1 << " : " << value << std::endl;
+}
+
+inline void COLUMN_ilog(const std::string& text1, size_t value) {
+  music::ilog << std::setw(32) << std::left << text1 << " : " << value << std::endl;
+}
+
+inline void CODE_PART_msg(const std::string& text) {
+  music::ilog << "-------------------------------------------------------------------------------" << std::endl;
+  music::ilog << "|| " << std::setw(48) << std::setfill('.') << text << std::setw(28) << std::right << "||" << std::setfill(' ') << std::endl;
+}
+
+inline void CODE_PART_COMPLETE_msg( double wtime ){
+  music::ilog << "||" << std::setw(65) << std::right << "took : " << std::setw(8) << wtime << "s ||" << std::endl;
+  music::ilog << "-------------------------------------------------------------------------------" << std::endl;
+  music::ilog << std::endl;
+}
+
 } // namespace music
diff --git a/src/grid_fft.cc b/src/grid_fft.cc
index 24b52f1..e03ddce 100644
--- a/src/grid_fft.cc
+++ b/src/grid_fft.cc
@@ -23,16 +23,17 @@
 
 void memory_report(void) 
 {
-    //... report memory usage
     size_t curr_mem_high_mark = 0;
     local_mem_high_mark = memory::getCurrentRSS();
+
 #if defined(USE_MPI)
     MPI_Allreduce(&local_mem_high_mark, &curr_mem_high_mark, 1, MPI_UNSIGNED_LONG_LONG, MPI_MAX, MPI_COMM_WORLD);
 #else
     curr_mem_high_mark = local_mem_high_mark;
 #endif
-    if( curr_mem_high_mark > 1.1*global_mem_high_mark ){
-        music::ilog << std::setw(57) << std::setfill(' ') << std::right << "mem high: " << std::setw(8) << curr_mem_high_mark/(1ull<<20) << " MBytes / task" << std::endl;
+
+    if (curr_mem_high_mark > 1.1 * global_mem_high_mark) {
+        music::ilog << std::setw(32) << std::setfill(' ') << std::left << "[[ New memory high mark " << " : " << std::setw(8) << std::fixed << std::setprecision(2) << curr_mem_high_mark / (1024.0 * 1024.0) << " MB per task "  << std::setw(23) << std::right << "]]" << std::endl;
         global_mem_high_mark = curr_mem_high_mark;
     }
 }
diff --git a/src/ic_generator.cc b/src/ic_generator.cc
index 1794690..bf950ac 100644
--- a/src/ic_generator.cc
+++ b/src/ic_generator.cc
@@ -97,7 +97,7 @@ int run( config_file& the_config )
     //--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
     //! number of resolution elements per dimension
     const size_t ngrid = the_config.get_value<size_t>("setup", "GridRes");
-
+    music::COLUMN_ilog( "Grid resolution", ngrid );
     //--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
     //! box side length in h-1 Mpc
     const real_t boxlen = the_config.get_value<double>("setup", "BoxLength");
@@ -135,23 +135,28 @@ int run( config_file& the_config )
         : ((lattice_str=="masked")? particle::lattice_masked
         : particle::lattice_sc)))));
 
-    music::ilog << "Using " << lattice_str << " lattice for particle load." << std::endl;
+    // music::ilog << "Using " << lattice_str << " lattice for particle load." << std::endl;
+    music::COLUMN_ilog( "Lattice for particle load", lattice_str );
 
     //--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
     //! apply fixing of the complex mode amplitude following Angulo & Pontzen (2016) [https://arxiv.org/abs/1603.05253]
     const bool bDoFixing    = the_config.get_value_safe<bool>("setup", "DoFixing", false);
-    music::ilog << "Fixing of complex mode amplitudes is " << (bDoFixing?"enabled":"disabled") << std::endl;
+    music::COLUMN_ilog( "Fixing of mode amplitudes", bDoFixing );
+    // music::ilog << "Fixing of complex mode amplitudes is " << (bDoFixing?"enabled":"disabled") << std::endl;
 
     const bool bDoInversion = the_config.get_value_safe<bool>("setup", "DoInversion", false);
-    music::ilog << "Inversion of the phase field is " << (bDoInversion?"enabled":"disabled") << std::endl;
+    music::COLUMN_ilog( "Inversion of the phase field", bDoInversion );
+    // music::ilog << "Inversion of the phase field is " << (bDoInversion?"enabled":"disabled") << std::endl;
 
     //--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
     //! do baryon ICs?
     const bool bDoBaryons = the_config.get_value_safe<bool>("setup", "DoBaryons", false );
-    music::ilog << "Baryon ICs are " << (bDoBaryons?"enabled":"disabled") << std::endl;
+    // music::ilog << "Baryon ICs are " << (bDoBaryons?"enabled":"disabled") << std::endl;
+    music::COLUMN_ilog( "Baryon ICs", bDoBaryons );
     //! enable also back-scaled decaying relative velocity mode? only first order!
     const bool bDoLinearBCcorr = the_config.get_value_safe<bool>("setup", "DoBaryonVrel", false);
-    music::ilog << "Baryon linear relative velocity mode is " << (bDoLinearBCcorr?"enabled":"disabled") << std::endl;
+    // music::ilog << "Baryon linear relative velocity" << (bDoLinearBCcorr?"enabled":"disabled") << std::endl;
+    music::COLUMN_ilog( "Baryon linear relative velocity", bDoLinearBCcorr );
     // compute mass fractions 
     std::map< cosmo_species, double > Omega;
     if( bDoBaryons ){