up to (one's) ass in alligators

rude slang So overcome or preoccupied by various tangential worries, problems, or tasks that one loses sight of the ultimate goal or objective. A variation of the expression "When you are up to your neck in alligators, it's easy to forget that the goal was to drain the swamp." I've spent so much time dealing with various infrastructure problems for my new business that I've had no time to actually develop our product properly. This is what happens when you're up to your ass in alligators.