"In my current position, I am juggling many priorities and deadlines all of the time and I've really honed a great system to keep myself organized and prioritized in what I am working on at any given moment. First and foremost, I ensure that my calendar is up to date with my deadlines, meetings, and time set aside for project work. I also keep a running written list of all of my tasks. I know this seems kind of old school, but I find it works out well for me to work off of a written list. Every morning, I reprioritize my list of to-do's based on the highest priority items. As well, I try to leave windows of time open each day to work on the high needs, quick-fix problems that surface on a daily basis in my work."

"My first step is to ensure that my understanding of the priority of my tasks is accurate. I like to check in with my manager or someone who is more senior in the role to discuss the scenario and see if they have guidance to offer. Those discussions sometimes lead to helpful adjustments or an offer for support that helps me get everything done.

In the event all of the priorities are equal, I then lean on my time management skills to make sure my projects are successful. I like to plan out my week in advance and then revisit my plan daily. I allow time for unplanned tasks that pop up throughout the week, and I communicate any status changes as soon as they are known."

"I have learned that there are times when there are truly several top priorities and they all deserve my attention. I work extra hard during these times to get everything done. I am willing to put in extra hours, or reach out to my peers for support. I also limit distractions and lean on detailed plans and task lists."

"Working on multiple projects with competing priorities is normal for me in my work as a business analyst. I have learned to use strategic and project planning best practices to ensure that I get everything done on time.

I review roadmaps regularly to ensure that I understand the long range plans of my projects. This helps me to identify in advance the times when I will most likely be the busiest. I then plan things out week to week as efficiently as possible. I look for opportunities to apply lead and lag best practices and I use downtime for one project to complete tasks on another. These strategies have helped me to improve my planning skills and deliver my work on time and in a quality manner."

"I use time management, planning skills, and formal tools such as the Kano model to prioritize my own work as a project manager. I adjust my approach to match the needs of the situation as needed.

The more important aspect of my work is to ensure that my teams have a solid plan to work from when they are working on multiple high priority initiatives. Scenarios like these can be stressful for a team and it helps them to know there is a strategic and thoughtful plan in place. I review the plan regularly with my teams and offer support in whatever ways I can to make sure they have the time they need to get everything done on schedule. I communicate changes to the plan as soon as they are known, and I check in regularly to ensure we stay on track."

"My current team follows an agile methodology. We work quickly, and I am usually assigned several features within each sprint. My go to strategy is to plan my work out across the entire sprint at the end of our design sessions. I set small goals and use an online calendar tool to share my plan with my team.

I usually work on a quick hit feature first so that there are things ready for a test while I am working on completing more difficult deliverables. Finally, I make clear commitments in my stand up meetings each day so that my teammates know what to expect from me. I let the scrum master know if I have any roadblocks, and I make sure I ask for any information or support I need as early as possible."

As you answer this question, talk about your ability to prioritize work by giving an example of a time that you've had to do this in your past. As you discuss this, talk about the tools that you used to stay organized and on track with all that you were assigned at a given time. Having a tried and true system in place will impress your interviewer and show that you are ready to handle all that is thrown at you.

Be sure to discuss industry-standard prioritization methods if you are a senior-level candidate and your role requires knowledge of specific prioritization models such as Kano, Cost of Delay, or Weighted Shortest Job First. This will help convince your interviewer you have the ability to leverage analytical methods until your on-the-job knowledge catches up to your peers.