Sabby Gill of Dext: Get Time Back

If you want time back in your bookkeeping practice, you need two things working together: better decisions and better systems. In our Leadership Takeover conversation with Sabby Gill, CEO of Dext, one idea came through consistently. Time back does not happen by accident, you have to design for it.

Most bookkeepers we speak to are not short on skill or effort. They are short on time because their practice is built around reacting. Reacting to clients, receipts, deadlines, and last-minute questions that slowly take over the week.

This article pulls out the leadership lessons from our Leadership Session with Sabby and translates them into what they mean for a small bookkeeping practice. We look at boundaries, communication, customer-led decision making, and how technology, including AI, should genuinely give you your life back.

This article contains paid promotion for our partner, Dext.

What “time back” actually means for bookkeepers

Time back does not mean surviving until the end of January or finally exhaling once VAT is filed. Time back means you can run a high quality practice without giving up evenings, weekends, or headspace.

Sabby Gill describes Dext’s purpose as “time for business”, and frames it simply. You cannot create more time, but you can stop spending it on things you never wanted to do in the first place.

For bookkeepers, time back usually shows up as:

• fewer admin heavy tasks
• smoother month end routines
• less chasing and rework
• clearer boundaries with clients
• more space for advisory conversations

Most importantly, it creates choice. You choose whether that time goes into rest, family, growth, or profit.

Lesson one: time back starts with leadership, not software

Good software matters, but it cannot fix a business that isn’t systemised.

Sabby Gill talks about leading by staying close to customers and employees. He deliberately speaks to customers every day because he wants unfiltered insight. That habit shapes decisions across the business.

For a bookkeeping practice, the translation is simple. If you want time back, you have to lead your practice like a CEO, even if it is just you.

That means deciding what matters, protecting it, and building routines that stop other people’s urgency from running your diary. The real question is not which tool you use, it is what keeps pulling you into reactive mode every week.

Lesson two: protect your time by setting response culture

One of the most practical leadership habits Sabby shared was how he sets expectations around communication. His email footer makes it clear that just because he sends a message outside working hours, he does not expect a response outside someone else’s hours.

That single line does a lot of work. It removes performative urgency and gives people permission to protect their time.

This is easy to apply in a bookkeeping practice:

• add clear response expectations to your email footer
• include support hours in your welcome pack and engagement letter
• use autoresponders that reassure clients without inviting urgency
• move “quick questions” into a defined channel

The earlier you set this tone, the easier it is to maintain. Clients learn how to work with you before bad habits form.

Lesson three: ask “why” before you change anything

If you want time back and buy-in from clients or team members, the “why” matters more than the rule.

Sabby explains that leaders often roll out changes top-down and then feel frustrated when people resist. If you do not explain why the change matters and what it solves, people either ignore it or work around it.

This shows up in bookkeeping all the time.

You introduce a new process. Clients must use Dext. WhatsApp is no longer acceptable (unless of course it’s Dext’s WhatsApp feature!). Fees are fixed. Deadlines matter.

If you only state the rule, you end up enforcing it forever. When you explain the why, people cooperate.

“We’re doing this so your VAT return is accurate.”
“We’re doing this so you have the cash you need.”
“We’re doing this so can make decisions that lead you to that goal we discussed last month.”

That is leadership, not control.

Lesson four: automate the repeats, keep the judgement

Sabby talked about where AI and automation are heading next. The focus is not replacing professionals, it is removing repeated manual behaviour.

He shared examples where systems can spot patterns you repeat every month and offer to automate them, while keeping you in control. The human still reviews, approves, and advises. The system handles the repetition.

For bookkeepers, the rule is simple.

Automate the boring repeats:

• chasing receipts
• recurring coding patterns
• report formatting
• approvals and nudges

Keep the judgement:

• reviews
• context
• conversations
• advice

That is where your value sits.

A realistic “time back” example

If you have 20 monthly clients and save just 30 minutes per client through better processes and automation, that’s 10 hours a month back. More than a full working day.

If you save an hour per client by tightening onboarding across the 20 clients you expect to take on next year, that’s 20 hours back.. that’s a long weekend with your family.

At that point, you get to choose. Fridays off, fewer clients, higher fees, advisory work, or a holiday.

That is what time back is actually for.

Lesson five: time back is what enables advisory and a better life

Sabby is clear about where this leads. If systems process the work efficiently, your best use of time becomes helping business owners make better decisions.

That aligns exactly with how we see the future of bookkeeping. You are not here to be a data processor. You are here to be a trusted adviser.

At The 6 Figure Bookkeeper, we have seen again and again that messy systems and underpricing destroy work-life balance. Time back is not just about ease, it is about impact and sustainability.

Sabby Gill’s Leadership Lessons

How do I get time back without hiring staff?

Start by removing repeat work. Tighten onboarding, standardise month-end, and set deadlines. Then automate the patterns you repeat every month.

What’s the fastest way to stop clients messaging at all hours?

Set expectations clearly and repeat them. Use an email footer, engagement letter, and one agreed communication channel. Otherwise messages spread everywhere and steal your focus.

Does automation really save time?

Yes, when it replaces a systemised process that already works. No, when it automates rubbish. Simplify the process first, then automate the repeatable parts.

What’s the link between time back and pricing?

Underpricing forces you to take on too much work. If fees do not cover proper systems, boundaries, and turnaround times, you pay with evenings and weekends.

What should I do with the time I get back?

Use it intentionally. Protect rest first, then invest in the work that grows your practice, better reporting, advisory conversations, and client experience.

Watch the interview with Sabby Gill

If you keep telling yourself things will calm down on their own, they won’t. Practices change because someone leads them that way.

This conversation with Sabby Gill is packed with leadership habits you can borrow immediately, especially if you want a sustainable practice. Watch the full Sofa Session on our YouTube channel and start designing your time back. Watch it now, or