I didn't do anything for ages so decided to buy a tablet and see if that could inspire me. I nearly threw it through the window.....drove me mad.
It may be a pain at first, but some tips that are really handy when using a graphics tablet:-
Make sure you have it parallel to your screen -seems simple, but is so much easier to use for you hand/eye co-ordination.
Use it for everything for a couple of hours a day, even surfing the web etc - put the onscreen keyboard on (start>all programs>accessories>accessibility) , and type with it etc - it will become second nature.
Use the 'smoothing' option in photoshop brushes - will find it in the brush options window.
use only a portion of the tablet, not the whole thing, there should be a settings option with it, just use about 5-6 inches of the middle of it, as it is really difficult to use the whole thing.
also in photoshop brush options, in the brush presets - use 'shape dynamics' and 'other dynamics' set the control to 'pen pressure' and on the top of the screen when painting, set opacity to 100/% and flow to about 15, this gives you much more control, as it doesnt just throw a thick line down. you will notice the pressure and gradients more too. will be like using a pencil.
will send you my custom painting brushes if you like.
hope this helps