MODIFIED IFR ATC INSTRUCTIONS COMPLICATE PA28'S DEP FROM PHL.

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I DEPARTED PHL WITH A RELATIVELY COMPLEX CLRNC TO HFD; WHICH I WAS COMPLETELY COMFORTABLE WITH AND READY TO FLY. I SET UP MY 2 VOR/NAV RADIOS ON THE GND SO THAT I COULD PROPERLY FLY IT. THE CLRNC BEGAN AS PHL TO OOD V312 CYN. IT IS IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT V312 IS A 'DOGLEG' AIRWAY; FORMED BY 2 DIFFERENT VORS USING DIFFERENT RADIALS. THE 'BEND' IN THE AIRWAY IS DEFINED BY A RADIAL FROM A THIRD VOR. AFTER TKOF I WAS HANDED TO DEP. THEY IMMEDIATELY ASSIGNED A NEW HEADING. I WAS TOLD TO 'TURN L HEADING 140 DEGS CLB AND MAINTAIN 5000 FT; JOIN V312' RATHER THAN GOING DIRECT TO OOD AND JOINING THE OUTBOUND RADIAL THAT FORMS V312. I TURNED TO THE NEWLY ASSIGNED HEADING AND BEGAN TO MENTALLY DETERMINE WHICH OF THE 2 LEGS OF V312 I MIGHT INTERCEPT. BEFORE REACHING V312 I WAS TOLD TO 'GO DIRECT TO CYN.' I ADJUSTED THE OBS OF MY TOP VOR TO CTR THE NEEDLE WITH A 'TO' INDICATION. WHEN I READ THE HEADING (WHICH WAS OBVIOUSLY INCORRECT); I REALIZED THAT THIS VOR WAS NOT THE ONE TUNED TO CYN. I THEN SELECTED THE OTHER VOR; CTRED THE NEEDLE; DOUBLE-CHKED TO ENSURE THAT THIS WAS INDEED CYN; AND BEGAN TO TURN TO THE REQUIRED HEADING. IT WAS AT THIS POINT THAT ATC ADVISED ME 'CHEROKEE XYZ YOUR ASSIGNED ALT IS 5000 FT.' IN THE PROCESS OF SETTING UP TO GO DIRECT TO CYN I HAD CLBED THROUGH 5000 FT AND HAD REACHED 5500 FT. I PROMPTLY RETURNED TO 5000 FT. I WAS FULLY PREPARED TO FLY THE CLRNC THAT I HAD BEEN GIVEN; BUT THE ADDITIONAL WORKLOAD THAT RESULTED AS ATC PROVIDED; FIRST ONE AND THEN A SECOND 'SHORTCUT'; DISTRACTED ME TO THE POINT THAT I CLBED THROUGH THE ALT I WAS ASSIGNED. WHILE ATTEMPTING TO REPROGRAM MY NAV INSTS TO GO DIRECT TO CYN; I BUSTED MY ASSIGNED ALT. I WILL HAVE TO BE EVEN MORE DILIGENT IN MANAGING ALL TASKS IN THE COCKPIT; ESPECIALLY DURING THE BUSY CLBOUT AND DEP PHASE OF FLT. I BELIEVE THAT ATC ATTEMPTS TO HELP US WHEN THEY PROVIDE THESE UPDATES TO OUR CLRNCS. IN A CERTAIN SENSE; THEY ARE A BIT SHORTER TO FLY; AND MORE DIRECT. HOWEVER; THEY ALWAYS REQUIRE MORE EFFORT THAN DOES THE CLRNC THAT WE HAVE ACCEPTED AND FOR WHICH WE'VE SET UP ALL OF THE NAV INSTS. ESPECIALLY DURING THE VERY BUSY CLBOUT AND DEP PHASE; CHANGES TO THE RTE ARE PARTICULARLY DISTRACTING. THE WORKLOAD IS VERY HIGH DURING THE DEP PHASE; AND HAVING TO ADAPT TO A NEW ROUTING IS BOUND TO LEAD TO ERRORS THAT RESULT DIRECTLY FROM THE INCREASED WORKLOAD. IN THIS PARTICULAR CASE; THE ORIGINAL DEP FIX; OOD; IS LOCATED CLOSE TO THE DEP ARPT. THE REVISED ROUTING DID NOT SAVE TIME. FURTHER; IT WAS NOT MOTIVATED BY TFC CONFLICTS. IT WAS SIMPLY A 'SHORTCUT' ISSUED BY ATC. I DO NOT BELIEVE THAT THE CTLRS KNOW HOW MUCH ADDITIONAL WORKLOAD THEY IMPOSE WHEN THEY ISSUE SUCH RTE CHANGE 'SHORTCUTS' DURING THE ALREADY BUSY DEP AND CLBOUT PHASE OF FLT. (I CAN EASILY ACCOMMODATE THEM DURING THE CRUISE PORTION OF THE FLT.) THESE SHOULD BE AVOIDED; ESPECIALLY WHEN DEALING WITH IFR FLTS IN SIMPLE GA ACFT. ATC SHOULD REALIZE THAT WE HAVE FULLY PREPARED TO FLY THE CLRNC WE'VE BEEN ISSUED; AND THAT CONTINUING WITH THAT CLRNC IS FAR EASIER THAN 'CUTTING THE CORNER' AND IS OFTEN EASIER THAN GOING DIRECT TO AN UNEXPECTED VOR A COUPLE OF STEPS DOWN THE LINE. ATC SHOULD ALSO REALIZE THAT IT IS MUCH EASIER FOR A GA IFR PLT TO FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTION 'FLY HEADING 220 DEGS AND GO DIRECT TO CYN WHEN ABLE' THAN IT IS TO SIMPLY 'GO DIRECT CYN.' IF SUCH A SHORTCUT IS NEEDED; ATC CAN GREATLY REDUCE THE WORKLOAD BY PROVIDING AN ACCEPTABLE INITIAL HEADING ASSIGNMENT THAT MAY BE USED IMMEDIATELY; THE PLT CAN CONTINUE TO FLY THE PLANE. THEN; AS WORKLOAD PERMITS; THE HEADING CAN BE FINE TUNED BY THE PLT AS SOON AS THEY CAN RESET THE ELECTRONIC NAV GEAR. THE RTE CHANGE SHORTCUTS THAT I RECEIVED WERE ISSUED USING INSTRUCTIONS THAT MADE THEM MANDATORY. THERE IS NO OPPORTUNITY; ESPECIALLY DURING THE CLBOUT AND DEP PHASE; WHERE A GREAT DEAL OF COM IS ONGOING WITH OTHER ACFT; TO DECLINE THE REVISED CLRNC. THEY ARE ISSUED AS 'RADAR VECTORS' DURING THE 'AFTER DEP' PHASE AND MUST BE FLOWN AS ISSUED. SIMPLY PUT; ATC SUBSTANTIALLY INCREASED MY WORKLOAD DURING THE FIRST FEW MINS OF FLT AND I WAS UNABLE TO KEEP UP. I CAN AND WILL DO BETTER IN THE FUTURE. AT THE SAME TIME; ATC COULD PROVIDE BETTER SVC BY AVOIDING RTE CHANGES UNTIL IFR GA ACFT REACH THEIR ESTABLISHED CRUISE PHASE OF THEIR FLT. DOING OTHERWISE; AS IN THIS EXAMPLE; CAN LEAD TO ERRORS CAUSED BY THE INCREASED WORKLOAD. IF A 'GO DIRECT' IS REQUIRED; A MUCH BETTER WAY TO ACCOMPLISH THIS IS TO 'FLY HEADING ABC; GO DIRECT XYZ WHEN ABLE'; RATHER THAN SIMPLY 'GO DIRECT XYZ.'