The first evil skill I acquired was subterfuge. Trying to deceive my parents is one of my earliest memories. I escaped from my crib by removing one of its loose bars and then, after climbing out, put the bar back in—as if to trick my parents that I was still in there.

That was what my baby mind was thinking at the time, at least. I’ve since had more practice and time to refine this and other “evil” skills, which I actually think has been a good thing. Subterfuge, gaming the system, and lying can be useful skills to have as an adult—when applied appropriately.

This post is part of our Evil Week series at Lifehacker, where we look at the dark side of getting things done. Sometimes evil is justified, and other times, knowing evil means knowing how to beat it. Want more? Check out our evil week tag page.