A few pointers come to mind:
1) Practice often for short periods of time (if you can.) In my newby days (high school), I was determined to get past the chord change pause as quickly as possible. I would grab my git every time I had a minute or two - when waking up, back from school, in front of the TV, etc., sometimes focusing on one specific chord change (e.g. first position A to D). I seemed to get most of the changes down within a reasonably short period of time.
2) Pay attention to fingering. Most finger charts and teachers follow the some guidelines, but there are some bad info, also. E.G. First position G chord should be with your pinky on first string, middle on 5th, and ring on 6th.
3) You don't have to have the chord completely formed to start strumming or fingerpicking it. A common newby habit is to wrestle with the fretting hand, until to chord is locked in, then starting to strum/pick. Particularly with fingerstyle, you often have fractions of a second to form the individual notes of the chord before you pluck that string.
I agree with your use of a metronome or drum loops. Keep it up!
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