As a guitar player, having a good working knowledge of chords and a strong rhythmic feel will always be two of your most valuable assets. By their very nature, chords and rhythms go together, so it only makes sence they should be practiced that way. When you're practicing chords, always have a metronome or drum machine going.

A great way to get the most out of your practice time is to work on two or more things at once, when you're first starting out on guitar its very important to maintain a strong level of enthusiasm, always keep your mind busy. After a few months of excessive practice, if you have a strong tollerance level, you should be just fine.

Pick up the book "The complete guitarist", its never too early to gain a strong understanding of notr only the fundemental workings of your instrument, but also how to achieve a higher level of proficiency...

-Joseph :)