My Mom taught me to dust first and then vacuum. But of course, those were the days before swiffers and such that actually picked up the dust more than just moving it around and onto the floor. She always said "start from the top and work down".

It doesn't apply here because I dust whenever I feel like it or when company's coming, meaning once in a blue moon or when I can write War and Peace on the furniture. My husband does the vacuuming, and I have no idea what his schedule is. And believe me, he has one.