I've changed my approach to technical exercises after reading "Effortless Mastery" by Kenny Werner. The book as a whole didn't really live up to it's spiel but there were a couple of interesting ideas. The one that has stuck with me is summed up as "don't move on to the next thing before you've mastered the first thing". It depends on the definition of mastered I suppose, but I know that I have a tendency to push on when I've "kind of" got something rather than have "really got" something. I also know that I can whizz through my scales every day but there are some mistakes that I make more often than not but I am not very disciplined in stopping to sort them out.
The principle should really be familiar to me - it's exactly the same principle my Pilates instructor drilled into us every week: 2 reps done correctly will do you more good than 100 done incorrectly. His example was spending 5 minutes on a bar or line of a technical exercise but mastering it before moving on to the next one, even if it takes 20 years to get through the book you will be a better player than if you whizzed through 40 technique books in that time but never mastered any of them!
So I am still working through my flute technique books, but a lot more slowly - trying to get them right (especially the finger work outs!). Even taking it a line at a time, being able to play it reliably at a predetermined metronome speed before looking at the next one is really helping. I am able to notice irregularities and problem areas and I am beginnning to see an improvement already. I'm also less concerned about trying to get through the book - if it takes 20 years, then so be it, I'll just take it a line at at time!
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