7 Proven Hacks To Increase Self-Control

After a long day at the office, happy hour sounds like sweet, sweet relief. But, let us know if this sounds familiar: You look at your calendar, see an 8 a.m. meeting scheduled for the next morning and think, "I'll just stop by." Then, you proceed to stay too late, and drink too much — again. We've all been there. Keeping your self-control in check isn't easy, especially when you feel drained. That little voice in your head telling you to make the best choices always seems to speak more softly when you're exhausted and having a good time.

Though the prevailing theory among scientists says self-control is a limited resource that becomes depleted the more you use it, newer research suggests it’s actually something you can activate in various ways. Better yet, most of the methods of tapping your self-control are super-simple; they just require a quick shift in perspective. Here are seven science-backed tricks.