First: I perform reality checks religiously. My method is, whenever I check my watch, to check it again, then block my nose and try to breath, then see if either hand passes through the other. It's gotten to the point where I don't even think about it. This is good, right?

Second: My dream recall has improved to the point where it's rare that I don't remember at least one dream per night. Is this good enough?

Third: Every night before going to sleep, I faithfully repeat the mantra "I will awake from my dreams and completely remember them." This has aided my dream recall immeasurably, but now I'm not sure if this helps or hurts my prospects for a lucid dream. Is there another mantra I might try?

Finally: Do things like drinking milk before going to sleep or smacking your arm in the morning to make your brain remember your dreams really work? Are there any other little tricks like this that I might not know of that could prove useful?

Thanks for all the help.