I think everybody knows this feeling of slacking off. You might want to start by just writing a little text (on your computer or in your journal). Just write down why you like lucid dreaming and dreaming in general. You should also note all the things you plan to achieve sooner or later Make a goal list. Look at it frequently and tell yourself "soon I will be able to do all those things." Be confident and trust yourself. Concerning your recall a consistent sleep schedule is important. Get a decent amount of sleep, go to bed at the same time and you might want to plan some WBTBs if you can afford to sleep a little longer... WBTBs are great to improve your dream recall and are also great to induce lucid dreams in combination with WILD or MILD
I increase my all day awareness with SAT and most importantly: the right mindset. I kind of made it a habbit to just critically evaluate my surroundings whenever I can think of it (which has become quite often recently) and of course whenever anything strange happens. Don't forget to do your RCs!

good luck.
- Benni