 Welcome to English in a Minute. Forests are amazing places with lots of trees. But what could this mean? Can't see the forest for the trees. Hey, how is that children's book project going? I've been working on it for so long. I can't see the forest for the trees. You should take a break. Come back in a few days. You'll be able to see the whole story much better. Good idea. Lots of individual trees make up a forest. If you can't see the forest for the trees, you're not able to understand a situation fully because you are too focused on the small details. Think of each detail as a tree and the major issue as the forest.