Yeah, sloppy writing. They're maximizing how quickly they can complete tasks by multi-tasking and enter sleep mode sooner, reducing recharge time and reducing the amount of energy wasted on systems that are in active standby. They rediscovered race to idle.
I think "rediscovered" is a bit dismissive. Upgrading software on a computer whose capabilities are akin to the state-of-the-art in the late 1990s and is 12-13 light minutes away is non-trivial. Also, no pressure because losing contact means the end of a whole team. I'm pretty sure they know a lot of things they could do but don't because the risk/reward ratio is too high... all without "rediscovering" it.