It is true that to really get scales, chord progressions, arpeggios, etc... down to the point where they are second nature, you have to repeat them many many times. However I think there is a big difference between playing a scale pattern in the exact same way ad nauseum 100 times or finding 100 different ways to apply that scale pattern. I opt for the second way. It's much less boring and much better for developing your ear for music. You should think about taking lessons from a reputable teacher, one that wants to teach you about music theory, not just someone who wants to show you how to play songs. That should liven up practicing and give you a little more structure to what you're trying to learn. Learning lots of songs is important, but not knowing how those songs fit into the grand scheme of things will stunt your growth as a musician.