Thanks again for the responses.
I do enjoy the procedural side of flying far more, and from the tiny amount of instrument flying in real IMC I've done so far (with an instructor, during/after PPL) I've loved every minute of it.
I have both FSX and X-Plane 10 on my PC and do intend to use them to the best possible extent during the IR (this being about the only kind of training desktop sims are any good for).
From what I've read, it seems doing the IR first wouldn't be a significant issue if I can nail the accurate flying (the tolerances seem tighter than the CPL).