I have three children of my own and with this behavior I would think that attention is what your child is seeking. Good or bad attention is any attention for a child. One way to help so this won�t be so bad is to give a reward for any chores or help that is done or asked to be done. This could be with a sticker chart or an imitate reward could be a sticker from the sticker jar or a prize from the prize box. This way when he has done something that he�s not suppose to have done you can give that time out and have it be affect. The key to having this work is to be on top of it don't let your guard down. This will be a lot of work at first and maybe even three week down the line but let me tell you that is all worth it when your child becomes a little angel and your job as a mother feels so satisfying.
Remember to pick your battles. Us as mothers know how far we can be pushed and what we will tolerate from our children. To redirect a negative action often works well when my three year old is being mischievous but this doesn't always work and a time out does quit well. We also have a sticker chart that has little things like brush your teeth, pick up your dirty cloths and so forth. I hope I am able to help out and have a go at this it real does work!
G.