Food for thought from Seth Godin:
If you ask people for the next task on their list, if you allow them to define the thing they are buying from you, you have abdicated responsibility. Your work product becomes dependent on the insight and guts of the person giving you an assignment. This is especially dangerous for consultants and freelancers, because the answer might be, “nothing.” Or it might be a paying gig that’s profitable in the short run but a career deadener over time.
It’s far better to reach a level of confidence and skill where you can describe solutions rather than ask for tasks.