I’ve heard it said that people who spackle for a living don’t have to sand but as an advanced DIYer, I do. Since I sand every coat, I don’t want to re-sand on the second round that which I already did on the first. I add chalk line powder to my second coat to identify where it was applied. That way I don’t have to figure out where I’ve already been. Third coat could use another color for further distinction. I have done this several years ago and no issues with spackle or paint adhesion.
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This seems like an awful lot of extra work than the way I was apprenticed/taught. The way I was taught was to minimize the amount of compound applied. VERY, very thin coats. The thinner, the better. In practice this works because the thinner layers dry very quickly. They are usually so thin that any imperfections can be skimmed off with a clean knife before applying the next thin coat. Multiple thin coats means you can work the job faster without having to allow for a long dry-period too.