I find reality checks kind of supplementary to recognizing dream signs as a DILD induction technique, and I usually only think to do reality checks during a dream anyway to solidify awareness of my state.

I find that thinking about lucid dreaming and wanting to have a lucid dream makes me more likely to have lucid dreams from any method. But it took me many months of wanting to "control my dreams" to have my first dreamsign recognition ever, which, disappointingly, woke me up.