What Are You Doing If You Are Putting The Cart Before The Horse?

This expression means that you are getting your priorities wrong; especially, doing things in the wrong order. An example might be planning an elaborate wedding, down to the last detail, when you haven't actually got anyone to marry yet! In business, you would be putting the cart before the horse if you sent out a lot of glossy catalogues to potential customers without having bought the stock.

It's bit different from expressions like "cloud cuckoo land" or "pie in the sky" which just indicate that someone is a dreamer. If you put the cart before the horse, you do have plans and an idea of how to achieve them, you're just getting ahead of yourself. A more similar saying is "Don't try to run before you can walk" which is a reminder to take care of the basics before you try anything more complicated.