Effective Prioritization Strategies at Work
Q: How would you prioritize your day if given sudden last-minute tasks while already working on high-priority projects?
- Administrative Assistant
- Senior level question
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In a situation where I'm already working on high-priority projects and suddenly receive last-minute tasks, I would follow a structured approach to prioritize effectively. First, I would assess the urgency and importance of the new tasks by asking myself a few questions: What is the deadline? How critical is this task to my team or the organization? Who will be affected if I don’t complete it on time?
Once I have this information, I would compare the new tasks against my current workload. If the last-minute task is truly urgent and will have a significant impact, I would reassess my current projects. For example, if I have a report due soon and I receive a request for an urgent meeting arrangement, I might delegate some aspects of the report preparation to a colleague or determine if I can break it down into smaller tasks that can be completed later.
I would communicate with my supervisor regarding my adjusted priorities to ensure transparency and alignment. For instance, I might say, “I am currently finalizing the report due tomorrow, but I’ve received a request for an urgent meeting setup. Could I complete the meeting arrangements first since it has a tight deadline and will allow me to focus better on the report afterward?”
In summary, I would prioritize by assessing the urgency and impact of the new tasks, adjust my current workload if necessary, communicate effectively with my team, and plan my time accordingly to ensure all critical tasks are completed efficiently.
Once I have this information, I would compare the new tasks against my current workload. If the last-minute task is truly urgent and will have a significant impact, I would reassess my current projects. For example, if I have a report due soon and I receive a request for an urgent meeting arrangement, I might delegate some aspects of the report preparation to a colleague or determine if I can break it down into smaller tasks that can be completed later.
I would communicate with my supervisor regarding my adjusted priorities to ensure transparency and alignment. For instance, I might say, “I am currently finalizing the report due tomorrow, but I’ve received a request for an urgent meeting setup. Could I complete the meeting arrangements first since it has a tight deadline and will allow me to focus better on the report afterward?”
In summary, I would prioritize by assessing the urgency and impact of the new tasks, adjust my current workload if necessary, communicate effectively with my team, and plan my time accordingly to ensure all critical tasks are completed efficiently.


