MILD works through a process of both confidence and action reminder. Like LaBerge explains it, when you really want something, your brain will activate a signal to mark that tasks or wish that will remind you often (depending A LOT on how hard you think about it and are confidence that you can achieve it) that the task is still not complete.

So basically, there is indeed ways of improving MILD even before you start having lucid dreams with it. Any tasks that evolves you creating a reminder (like I will whistle next time I get off a bus) can actually improve your ability to create these reminders. For example, if you convince yourself that you will remember to take your keys next time you go to work, especially because if you don't take them you won't be able to enter home, you will subconsciously keep this reminder. It might not pop all the time, but it's there.

Now you just got to imagine this for a dream. Next time you dream, you will become lucid. Focus on your INTENTION, on remembering, on performing the task. Visualize yourself doing it. That's why I advice always thinking on your mantra during the way, that way your brain will signal that intention in a much deeper way.

I'll give you another small example. When I first ever tried lucid dreaming, I had a program who randomly sent an audio alarm on my mobile to do a reality check. Since I wanted so bad to become lucid, I was focusing really hard on wanting to perform a RC in very short intervals of time. At some point, my brain would randomly say "Hey man, is that alarm ringing or not? Don't forget we have to do reality checks, better do one now just in case".

Out off time to talk about some small reminder exercises you can do for MILD, but like said above, you can do anything. Just choose a task (like "I will perform an RC every time I touch in money") and see how easily you remember of it. After some days, you will really improve because you are more capable of remembering you have something to do. The more you do this, the more skilled you become at having an intention focused in your mind. And it will carry out for dreams.

Good luck, any more doubts just give pm