Most woodworkers sand too much, because that seems safer than sanding too little.
But a good sanding sequence will guarantee that your stain and finish will look great, and assure that you don't spend too much time sanding. Here's how I do it. AlOx leaves a fine v-shaped set of scratches and works fast. Open coat means there are spaces between the grit. The purpose of the 80 grit is solely to remove tool marks.