As to the substance of the OP's question, the answer (as so often) is "it depends".
You mentioned the ultimate goal (CPL/IR...), however 3 key questions are: over what elapsed time period; how much time do you intend to dedicate to this over that elapsed time period; and how much money are you willing & able to commit to it?
If you want to achieve the ultimate goal quickly and money is no object, forget the IMC/IR(R) - it's a waste of time. If work/family/money/... matters dictate that this is going to be a long journey, then the IR(R) is a great stopping point along the way, allowing you to taste IFR flight and build up experience - and you got some great tips above on how to make this optimally beneficial.
Other tip from experience: be wary of those telling you "do it this way" / "don't do it this way" - blanket advice like this is rarely helpful, and (as other have said) might indicate the prejudices and/or economic incentives of the "advisor"... Cui bono?