What do you think about reminders?

Reminders, be it alarms that trigger once in a while, post-it notes around your room, wallpapers on your PC/phone or anything similar that tell you to do a reality check, to become/remain present/self-aware. Do you think they can actually help or slow your progress? My thinking used to be, and a bit still is, that it is much better to ingrain lucid dreaming in your mind naturally, by yourself. To me that sounds more effective than always relying on an external source to remind you. On the other hand, the external source could indeed help to form your habit of reality checking, or like I said, it can offer you the 'freedom' of always forgetting to do it yourself and relying on it all the time.
What's your opinion/what works for you?

Well I RC without a reminder but sometimes I run into the problem of forgetting and in those times a reminder really helps me out.

Having reminders wont hurt unless you become dependent on them.
As you said they can help form the habit of RC'ing.

It is a little ironic to me that you wonder if reminders to do reality checks are relying on an external source rather than doing it naturally. To some degree reality checks themselves are sort of a crutch and not doing it naturally, as well. I have pretty much given up RCs in favor of more awareness and spontaneous (or dream sign triggered) lucidity. I think over time most head that way. So I would say do whatever works for now. Train your brain. Over time your brain won't need either of them.

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Originally Posted by Rothgar

It is a little ironic to me that you wonder if reminders to do reality checks are relying on an external source rather than doing it naturally. To some degree reality checks themselves are sort of a crutch and not doing it naturally, as well. I have pretty much given up RCs in favor of more awareness and spontaneous (or dream sign triggered) lucidity. I think over time most head that way. So I would say do whatever works for now. Train your brain. Over time your brain won't need either of them.

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I didn't mean reality checks only, I also mentioned being reminded to become self/aware and maintain that awareness. Which is what you would consider natural and not a crutch, I assume from what you've just said.
In fact, I believe reality checks have two uses: A. Testing "reality" itself, and B, which I consider more important, helping you ingrain lucid dreaming in your mind by thinking about it. But yeah, I do agree that awareness seems to be the most important element in lucidity.