With the head nuts, personally I torque them all to12lb/ft first, then up the setting to 18lb/ft, yes do opposites rather than a star pattern
"Once I have my exhaust off, if I cannot complete the head job in one day, do I need to block off the exposed exhaust port and what is the best way to do that?"
Not sure what you mean here, you havent said what you are doing, but using the kicker you can park the piston at TDC to keep mice and spiders from seeking a new home in your motor