I'll assume that you me polishing by hand. The proper way to do this is to take a towel, a soft polishing towel is best, but you can use a terry cloth also, and just wet the tip of the towel with polish, probably 1/4 the size of a dime.

Use your fingers behind the towel to really push into the surface and start polishing in quick, overlapping circles, working the same 2 inch by 2 inch square for several minutes. You will notice most polishes suddenly become waxy and glossy, and the towel will begin to slide easily. That just means the abrasive in the polish is breaking down and the suspension fluid is starting to smear. Rub for another 30 seconds or so and there should be little left. Now wipe that area off.

Figure out another 2 inch X 2 inch square and get to work. It usually takes about 5 minutes to do these little squares, which can easily lead to an hour to do an entire ball.

Polish is not a wax, and should not be waxed on, allowed to dry then waxed off. Infact if the polish drys on the surface, it will be very ineffective.

Best of luck.