Yeah, if you want to improve your dream recall really fast you can set an alarm every 1½ hours so that you wake up in REM, but that usually leads to you lacking in sleep after a while, you shouldn't do this for a very long time. You will still be able to improve your recall alot by just trying to recall dreams in the morning.

Only the knowledge that you can be lucid in a dream is enough to become lucid. It's like I said all about being aware of your surroundings. With practice you will get better at it and remember to check if you're dreaming if you see something weird. My DILD's are often spontaneous though and nothing special has to happen for me to realise I'm dreaming.

Ofcourse you don't have to have your DJ in here