1. A method for selectively activating a virtual haptic geometry, comprising: establishing a plurality of virtual haptic geometries, each virtual haptic geometry having a target feature and being available to be activated to guide an instrument to the target feature by restricting movement of the instrument within the confines of the virtual haptic geometry; determining a distance between a reference point of the instrument and each of the target features of the plurality of virtual haptic geometries; determining which of the target features is closest to and within a threshold distance of the reference point of the instrument, to select a virtual haptic geometry having the closest target feature; and activating the virtual haptic geometry having the closest target feature; wherein the plurality of available haptic geometries correspond to a plurality of surgical steps to be completed, wherein the sequence of the surgical steps is defined by the selective activation of the virtual haptic geometry having the closest target feature; and wherein one or more of the plurality of available haptic geometries overlap at an overlapping region, and wherein the selective activation of the virtual haptic geometry having the closest target feature prevents haptic forces associated with a first virtual haptic geometry from interfering with haptic forces associated with a second virtual haptic geometry while the instrument is in the overlapping region.