DESIGN IDEAS TACKTILE BOARDS, $35 each for large (18 inches square) and $17 for small (9 inches square), Cocoon, www.cocoononline.com.
If you keep to your side of the pushpin board and he keeps to his, you’ll both always know whose messages and — more important — whose chores are whose. Hang multiples of these square tiles (available in red, silver, and black) to create an orderly, divided message system for spouses and roommates alike.

The Extras
1. Save yourself the trouble of transferring birthday and anniversary dates to a new calendar each year. Just write down important recurring dates in the Perpetual Calendar ($12, OrangeArt, 800-253-8975 for store locations), and tack it onto your message center for use this year and beyond.
2. Moore aluminum pushpins ($5 for 100, the Container Store, www.containerstore.com) can hold something as heavy as a pair of scissors.