when performing reality tests throughout the day. Do not lose focus or drift into thought onto something else on the test. Stay fully focused on the reality test and truly question whether your dreaming (you could be dreaming right now).
When you become lucid during a dream. Try to stay focused on one thing at a time. Rather than rushing to try many different things. Stay focused on one thing at a time. I've found doing this helps me stay aware during the duration of lucidity and increases my overall awareness.
When performing a reality test. Don't do it halfway. You need to be fully aware and serious about it. If you are not serious during the day for reality tests and do them as a task with a mindset as something that is not done seriously. It likely will be a lazy test in the dream.
When I've been in a dream and lucid. I find that constantly reminding myself that it is a dream and taking in the environment and touching the environment helps me keep my awareness up during the dream.
I find that using the peg method when lucid can help me keep my awareness up during the dream. It makes me have to find important details or things that I would want to mark to help me remember the dream better and overall increase my awareness (Peg method can be found in the "Are you Dreaming book".)
Very good tips, I totally agree with what you have written! Touching everything around me helps me stay in the dream, doing reality tests even though I already know that I am dreaming seems to help with dream length and dream clarity.