be one jump ahead
To be in an advantageous position (over another person or an impending occurrence) due to being proactive. I'm studying hard to be one jump ahead of Christine, who is my main competition for valedictorian. I'm going to leave early and take the side streets so that I can be one jump ahead of the traffic.
stay one jump ahead
To maintain an advantageous position (over another person or an impending occurrence) by being proactive. I'm studying hard to stay one jump ahead of Christine, who is my main competition for valedictorian. I'm going to leave early and take the side streets so I can stay one jump ahead of the traffic.