How to polish and wax a car?

I know this may seem like stupid question but should I wax my car right after I polish it? It seems that I usually end up with swirl marks and doesnt look as shiny as it could when I used turtle wax I just bought the NXP wax by Meguairs and some cloth baby diapers to wipe it off. When I wax my car, am I supposed to go side to side or does it even matter? Thanks:) Stupid question I know.

When you say polish....are you using a buffer for this or doing it by hand? Polish is for removing swirls, etc. but offers no protection. After using a polish either a sealant or wax must be applied to protect the surface.

Generally speaking you apply/remove from front to back on horizontal surfaces, up & down on vertical surfaces (when done by hand).

EDIT I honestly don't know if the direction one polishes makes any difference or not, opinions vary.

I would be applying it by hand. Its turtle waxs f21 polish, as it has swirl marks mainly on the hood along with other imperfections from the previous owner. Thanks again Tex

What's going on here? Are you on here under two different names? I'm confused???????????????