Some things i do to get out of a rut:

*Go out and buy a dvd of your favourite band. The visual helps. I can hardly get through half a song on a dream theater dvd before im jammin again.

*Jam with cds. THis is just fun. Put on you favourite cd and wail.

*Play in open tunings...or create your own. Last time i tried this, i wrote my favourite song i've written.

Sometimes monontony is necessary for the hard stuff...and yes the metronome is your friend.