One way to apply ideas and exercises in a musical situation is to play along with the songs. Also, using the metronome is very important but after you must forget the exercises and play the music… just the music without reading.
Here’s a Spotify playlist including songs without drums. I included different bands for different styles (blues, rock, trip-hop, and jazz). These songs are a great way to play some grooves and raise your creativity by adding your drum parts.
For example, “Life by the Drop” by Steve Ray Vaughan is perfect for working on shuffle rhythms. On “Daydreaming” by Radiohead, you can play some 3/4 jazz-waltz stuff. Keep on drumming!
Francis' Drumming Blog 