The phrase "having the cart before the horse" means that someone is doing things in the wrong order or putting importance on the wrong thing. Synonyms for this phrase include "jumping the gun" which means starting something too soon, "getting ahead of oneself" meaning making plans or taking action before the proper time, "putting the horse before the cart" which is another version of the original phrase, or "starting at the end" which implies trying to achieve the result before the necessary steps have been taken. All of these phrases convey the idea of not following the correct order or process and can be useful when describing situations where someone is hurrying or rushing things, often to their own detriment.