Originally posted by Slasha
well i use a lot of theory type books and stuff. so usually i'll warm up and stretch my left hand, then do some chromatic picking exercises. Then i'll usually move to like fast scales and modes and improvisation

What you're experiencing is completely normal, EVERYONE goes through it. Here are some suggestions:

1. Set goals. By this I don't mean "I want to play as fast as Yngwie in 6 months". Set small goals like: "By next week I want to play this scale 3 clicks higher on the mm"
Start small and pretty soon...
2. Set SPECIFIC TIMES for what you are practicing, and STICK TO IT!!! an example:
DAY 1
A. Minor chords (15 - 20 minutes)
B. MINOR Scale patterns (20 - 30 minutes)
C. Improvising (25 - 30 minutes)
D. Learning Songs (30 - 40 minutes)
Notice how small the time blocks are? Alex Skolnick and Marty Friedman once said, "20 minutes of FOCUSED practice is much more beneficial than 3 hours of 'noodling'"
3. Keep a record of your progress. How else will you know what you've accomplished?
4. If you feel you're stagnating, try something new!!!
Learn chicken picking, learn some funk tunes, force yourself to do something other than what you normally do.
5. And Lastly, be consistent, and understand that 'peaks and valleys' are part of the game, and they do happen

Good luck!