I've been reading D. Love's book (Are You Dreaming?) and he advises one to approach reality checks with the thought that one is very likely dreaming already. I have heard people approach them with just the opposite mindset (to disprove one is dreaming).

He also states the hand checking is ineffective in the long run, and only recommends the nose pinch and textual/digital clock distortion checking. What do people think about this? He gives a pretty good rationale, but then again, rationales are not necessarily how reality operates.

Now, whenever I've become lucid, to the best of my memory, it has never been due to any standard reality checking. However, I've never consistently practiced any of them.