Thank you so much for all the quick and great responses. I will definitely use all this advice.
One more question I have involves reality checking. I chose to reality check every time I hear my name or use my phone. Are those sensible? Because I'm unsure when I would do either of those things in a dream, and also I'm still confused about how to rc. I started with trying to push my finger through my palm, after awhile I kind of felt silly and then tried doing the nose plugging method. I think I'm being too stubborn (and I don't want to be!!) what methods do you use or did you use that confirmed your lucid dream?