When my son was in elementary school I often used positive reinforcement. My son has ADHD and a learning disability so he needed more help in some areas of school work than average children. I put colorful wrapping paper on an empty box and put items in the box that he would like to have as well as some envelopes with unknown rewards such as trip to movie theater. We called it the reward box and he would get a reward when he completed a task in a notebook that I wanted him to accomplish. On a page I would list the contract including description of task and reward and he and I would date and sign the contract and I could make sure he understood what I wanted him to do. For example a task could be "use Mavis Beacon software until you can achieve 45 wpm with 95% accuracy". Using the reward box worked well for my son.

But when he became a teenager his attitude changed and he was not as motivated to achieve the tasks and receive rewards. That was a tough time for us both. I finally began using negative punishment to extinguish behaviors I didn't like, such as cursing or disobeying. He would lose phone privileges or I would take video games away. I always defined how long the item would be gone when I took the item.

The teen years were horrid but my son is now much more well behaved and usually pleasant mannered.

For myself I think positive reinforcement works to a degree. I am fanatical making 'to do' lists and love to reward myself by placing check marks on the list when I complete tasks. I still procrastinate though.