missing the forest for the trees
Overlooking the whole
Missing the forest for the trees means focusing so closely on details that you fail to see the larger picture.
Someone absorbed in minor flaws of a proposal might miss its overall merit.
The phrase often appears as a gentle criticism: You're missing the forest for the trees—step back and look at what we've actually accomplished.
- micromanagementExcessive supervisory control
- short-sightednessInability to see distant objects clearly
- splitting hairsFocusing on trivial differences
- navel gazingExcessive inward contemplation
- tunnel visionInability to see periphery
blind spot · losing sight of · nitpicking · interconnectedness · penny wise, pound foolish · selective attention · framing effect · gestalt theory · overthinking · missing the point · synergy · misjudgment · analysis paralysis · putting the cart before the horse · overcomplication · big picture · confirmation bias · barking up the wrong tree
missing the forest for the treesseeing the forest for the trees
Perceiving whole despite parts
zooming out · helicopter view · holistic view · bird's-eye view · stepping back
missing the forest for the treeskeeping one's eye on the ball
Maintaining focus on essentials
missed, misses, forest, forests, forested, forestry, forestation, deforest, deforestation